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THE WAR IN WEXFORD

BY THE SAME AUTHORS

NAPOLEON AND THE
INVASION OF ENGLAND

THE STORY OF THE GREAT TERROR
1797-1805. With 114 full-page Illustrations,
including 8 in colour, reproduced from a
unique collection of contemporary Caricatures,
Broadsides, Songs, etc. 2 Vols. Demy 8vo.

THE WAR IN

WEXFORD

AN ACCOUNT OF THE REBELLION
IN THE SOUTH OF IRELAND IN 1798
TOLD FROM ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS
BYH.F.B. WHEELER <2r A.M.BROADLEY
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS
REPRODUCED FROM CONTEMPORARY
PORTRAITS, PRINTS, ETC. &

LONDON : JOHN LANE THE BODLEY HEAD
NEW YORK : JOHN LANE COMPANY MCMX

/
v^

PLYMOUTH : WILLIAM BRENDON AND SON, LIMITED, PRINTERS

JAMES C. INGLIS

GENERAL MANAGER OF THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY

AND FOR THE SECOND YEAR
PRESIDENT OF THE INSTITUTE OF CIVIL ENGINEERS

UNDER WHOSE AUSPICES

THE SUCCESSFUL INAUGURATION OF THE

SHORT SEA ROUTE TO IRELAND

Viti FISHGUARD AND ROSSLARE

THE NAMES OF WHICH PLACES ARE BOTH CLOSELY
ASSOCIATED WITH THE STIRRING EVENTS OF 1797-1798

HAS DONE SO MUCH TO

POPULARISE THE NATURAL BEAUTIES OF
WEXFORD, WATERFORD, AND OTHER

PARTS OF SOUTHERN IRELAND
WITH ALL CLASSES OF TRAVELLERS

THIS VOLUME IS

WITH HIS PERMISSION

INSCRIBED BY

THE AUTHORS

LONDON

March, 1 910

PREFACE

SOME eighteen months ago three MSS. of un-
deniable importance to a correct appreciation
of one of the most interesting phases of Irish
history, viz. the brief but bloody conflict in
Wexford during the summer of 1798, were placed at
the disposal of the writers. These documents con-
sisted of the following items : ist, the holograph
correspondence of Arthur, Earl of Mount Norris,
ranging from the 27th December, 1796, to the loth
July, 1813 ; 2nd, the Detail Book of the Camolin
Yeomanry, the entries in which begin with the 25th
May, 1798, and end the 9th October of the same
year ; 3rd, the journal of Mrs. Brownrigg, of Green-
mound, Co. Wexford, which covers the period between
26th May and 2ist June, 1798, when the troops under
Sir John Moore relieved Wexford on the very day
made memorable by the Battle of Vinegar Hill.
These records, with the exception of the last-men-
tioned, to which brief allusion is made by Musgrave,
do not appear to have been at the command of any
of the numerous historians of the desperate struggle
between Loyalists and Rebels. Some of these writers
exhibit a strong bias in favour of the Government,
while others make no secret of their whole-hearted
sympathy with the insurgents. The object of this

viii PREFACE

volume is to tell once again the story of the War in
Wexford by the aid of original documents, comparison
being made in the course of the narrative of the
statements of eye-witnesses contained in the MSS. now
brought to light with those given in the pages of Hay,
Byrne, Cloney, and Teeling, ardent partisans of the
Catholics, and Musgrave, Taylor, Gordon, and Jack-
son, who enter the lists with equal enthusiasm on the
part of the Protestants. James Anthony Froude and
W. E. H. Lecky, especially the latter, may be re-
garded, to some extent, as impartial. It is thus that
Froude, in a few trenchant sentences, sums up his
opinions as to the merits of the case :

" Were it not for the enormous crimes which these
infatuated men confessed that they were deliberately
contemplating, the spectacle of Ireland on the eve of
the rebellion of 1798 would rise into tragic piteous-
ness. The long era of misgovernment had ripened at
last for the harvest. Rarely since the inhabitants of
the earth have formed themselves into civilised com-
munities had any country suffered from such a com-
plication of neglect and ill-usage. The Irish people
clamoured against Government, and their real wrong,
from first to last, had been that there was no govern-
ment over them ; that, under changing forms, the
universal rule among them for four centuries had been
the tyranny of the strong over the weak ; that from
the catalogue of virtues demanded of those who exer-
cised authority over their fellow-men the word Justice
had been blotted out. Anarchy had borne its fruits.
The victims of scandalous misadministration had
risen at last to demand redress ; but they had risen

PREFACE ix

in blind rage in pursuit of objects which, if obtained,
could but plunge them deeper in their misery. They
had appealed to England, and England had for bread
given them a stone, for fish a serpent. Instead of
practical justice she had given them political liberty,
and when political liberty had proved a mocking
phantom, they had gone mad and had started to
arms, and were preparing for universal massacre and
ruin.

" Their leaders disguised the hideousness of their
schemes in patriotic rhapsodies. They compared them-
selves in fancy to the liberators of America or to the
heroes of Jacobin France. They believed, or dreamt
that they believed, that they were to enrich the annals
of mankind by the achievement of a glorious revolu-
tion. Their road to it hitherto had lain through mid-
night murder, through seduction of honest men from
their duty, through the contemplation of crimes so
horrible that they shrank appalled from the ferocity
of each other's conceptions. Though engaged, as they
supposed, in the most glorious of causes, they had
been unable to inspire one another with the fidelity
which the pickpocket displays to his comrades. In
every Committee there were traitors, one or many.
They had generated round them an atmosphere of
villainy, and when they lifted their hands at last to
strike the blow which was to break the chains of
Ireland, they found themselves in the hands of the
police, fallen from the high peaks to which they were
in imagination soaring to the level of common felons." 1

In dealing with facts, Froude is not always en-

1 Froude, Vol. III., pp. 400-1.

x PREFACE

tirely accurate, and occasionally he comes to conclu-
sions which the evidence he adduces scarcely justifies.
Although the Earl of Mount Norris played a con-
spicuous part in the affairs of 1798, he is only referred
to as Lord Mountmorris, 1 and it is sometimes difficult
to account for discrepancies which, here and there,
have crept into an undeniably monumental work.

It must not be forgotten that it was in beautiful
Wexford that the death-struggle of 1798 between
Loyalist and Rebel was specially characterised by
that ferocity and vindictiveness which only spring
from an intensity of religious feeling. As far as Wex-
ford was concerned, it was nothing less than the jihad,
or Holy War of the Roman Catholics of the South
against the Protestants and their protectors. No
quarter was asked for, given, or expected. Hence
the outrages which make men shudder after the lapse
of more than a century.

Camolin Park, in County Wexford, had come to the
Annesleys through the marriage, in 1741, of the sixth
Earl of Anglesey with Juliana, daughter of Richard
Donovan, the owner of that estate, and the writer of
the Camolin Papers was her only son.

The personality of Arthur Annesley, the moving
spirit of the Camolin Yeomanry, the Loyal Mount
Norris Rangers, and the Loyal Mount Norris Yeoman
Infantry, born in 1744, was in many ways remark-
able. On the death, in 1761, of his father, Richard
Annesley, sixth Earl of Anglesey, seventh Viscount
Valentia, and fifth Baron Altham, the earldom seems
to have reverted to the descendants of the second son

1 Froude, Vol. III., p. 432.

PREFACE xi

of the first Earl ; but Arthur Annesley inherited the
second title, and as Viscount Valentia took his seat
four years later in the Irish House of Peers. His
claim to a writ of summons as Earl of Anglesey in the
English Parliament was rejected only by a single vote in
the Committee of Privilege. In 1767 he married Lucy,
only daughter of George, Lord Lyttelton, 1 who. died
in 1783. His second wife, who lived till 1849, was a
daughter of the Rt. Hon. Sir Henry Cavendish and
the Baroness Waterpark. In December, 1793, Viscount
Valentia was created Earl of Mount Norris. 2 He sur-
vived the troubles of 1798 for eighteen years, dying
in 1816, when his honours devolved on his son George,
so named after his distinguished maternal grandfather,
the " Good " Lord Lyttelton. At his demise, in 1844,
the earldom became extinct. The present representa-
tive of the energetic cavalry captain of 1798 is Lieut.-
General Arthur Lyttelton Lyttelton-Annesley, who
has assumed the additional name of Lyttelton, and
also represents in the female line the first Barony of
Lyttelton. It is by the kindness of General Lyttelton-
Annesley that the writers are enabled to give, for the
first time, a reproduction of the striking family por-
trait of the first Earl of Mount Norris.

Camolin Park, the scene of so much excitement
during the " War in Wexford," no longer belongs to
the House of Annesley. It was sold in 1852 by the
then owner, Mr. Lyttelton-Annesley, to Mr. James
Foster, of Stourton Castle, Staffordshire, and the

1 See Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Thrale, by A. M. Broadley, pub-
lished by John Lane, 1909, p. 211.

2 Burke gives the title as Mountnorris, but its first holder, at
any rate, invariably wrote it Mount Norris.

xii PREFACE

present owner is Mr. W. H. Foster, of Apley Park,
Shropshire. Much of the land has been divided among
the tenants, and the mansion-house is now used as a
College of Forestry.

At the present moment the eyes of travellers and
politicians are alike directed to Ireland. The problem
of Home Rule must inevitably become once again pre-
eminently a burning question, and, on the other hand,
the inauguration of the new Great Western short sea
route to Ireland by way of Fishguard and Rosslare
is bringing crowds of holiday-makers to Wexford and
Waterford, as well as to the Lakes of Killarney and
the Valley of Ovoca.

It is certainly a strange coincidence that this plea-
sant journey should commence at Fishguard, the
scene of the only practical attempt to carry into
effect the oft-repeated threat of Gallic invasion on
English soil, and end at Rosslare, mentioned more
than once in the Camolin Papers, and almost within
sight of Wexford, where the statue of one of the
Vinegar Hill combatants now looks down, peacefully
and complacently, on crowds of appreciative sight-
seers. It is hoped that the twentieth-century traveller,
as well as the twentieth-century politician, will find
much to interest them in the story now placed before
them. The authors desire to express their acknow-
ledgments of assistance kindly given them to General
Sir Arthur Lyttelton Lyttelton-Annesley, K.C.V.O.,
F.S.A., F.R.G.S., F.Z.S., as well as to Mr. S. A. Pope and
Mr. W. Beddoes, J.P., both of the Great Western
Railway.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PACK

I. THE SEEDS OF SEDITION . 3

II. THE REIGN OF MARTIAL LAW . 30

III. THE OLIVE BRANCH IN WEXFORD . . 48

IV. THE HARVEST OF REVOLT . 72

V. FROM THE CAPTURE OF GOREY TO THE

BATTLE OF Ross . . 104

VI. VINEGAR HILL . . 138

VII. A THREE WEEKS' TERROR: MRS. BROWN-
RIGG'S JOURNAL AT WEXFORD, MAY 26TH-

JUNE 2isT . ... 162

VIII. MRS. BROWNRIGG'S JOURNAL AT WEXFORD

(continued) . . 183

IX. WAR IN THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS . . 200

X. BANDITTI . . . . . 216

XL THE COMING OF THE FRENCH . . . 237

XII. TROUBLES OF THE CAMOLIN CAVALRY . . 266

XIII. THE AFTERMATH OF THE REBELLION . . 282

XIV. WHO WAS TO BLAME? . . . 297

BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . 327

INDEX . . . 335

ILLUSTRATIONS

ARTHUR ANNESLEY, VISCOUNT VALENTIA, FIRST EARL OF

MOUNT NORRIS {Photogravure) . . . Frontispiece

From a contemporary portrait in the possession of his descendant Sir
Arthur Lyttelton Lyttelton-Annesley, K.C.V.O.

FACING PAGB

SIR DAVID DUNDAS, K.B. . . 18

From a contemporary portrait in the collection of Mr. A. M. Broadley.

GENERAL LAZARE HOCHE . . ... 26

From a contemporary portrait in the collection of Mr. A. M. Broadley,

FACSIMILE OF ONE OF THE MOUNT NORRIS LETTERS . . 38
JOHN FITZGIBBON, EARL OF CLARE . . 44

From the collection of Mr. A, M. Broadley.

LORD EDWARD FITZGERALD . . ... 68

A TYPICAL IRISH INSURGENT OF 1798 . ... 104

From an old engraving in the collection of Mr. A. M. Broadley.

FATHER JOHN MURPHY OF BOULAVOGUK . . 122

From the collection of Mr. A. M. Broadley.

MAJOR-GENERAL SIR JOHN MOORE . . . . 152

From a contemporary proof engraving in the collection of Mr. A. M.
Broadley.

THE VINEGAR HILL STATUS, WEXFORD . . . 160

From a photograph.

FACSIMILE OF PAGE OF THE WEXFORD MS. . . 196

From a photograph by Mr. C. A. Hamilton.

JOSEPH HOLT, A PROMINENT REBEL CHIEF . . . 220

ROBERT STEWART, VISCOUNT CASTLEREAGH . . . 232

From an engraving in the collection of Mr. H. F. B. Wheeler.

ROBERT EMMET . . . ... 292

From the collection of Mr. A. M. Broadley.
XV

xvi ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGE

WEAPONS FOR USE IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE IRISH REBEL-
LION, AND TAKEN AT EMMET*S DEPOT IN DUBLIN ON THE

23RD JULY, 1803 . . . ... 294

From a contemporary drawing in the collection of Mr. A. M. Broadley.

JAMES CAULFEILD, EARL OF CHARLEMONT . . . 298

Front the collection of Mr. A. M. Broadley.

AN EMMET BROADSIDE OF 1803 . ... 322

From the collection of Mr. A. M. Broadley.

CONTEMPORARY MAP OF THE COUNTY OF WEXFORD IN 1798

THE WAR IN WEXFORD

CHAPTER I
THE SEEDS OF SEDITION

Who fears to speak of Ninety-eight ?

Who blushes at the name ?
When cowards mock the patriot's fate,

Who hangs his head for shame ?

JOHN K. INGRAM.

sunset of the eighteenth century in
Ireland was as lurid and stormy as its dawn
had been colourless and watery. The
thunder of the French Revolution echoed in
low rumblings throughout the land of ruined castles
and of ruined causes, just and unjust, to culminate in
the outburst of '98. The Rebellion relieved the tense
political atmosphere, and was followed by the calmer
weather of the Union which, for good or ill, was
brought about in 1800. Let us recall as briefly as
possible the principal events which heralded the in-
ternal warfare destined in the spring and summer of
1798 to devastate both the country-side and the
populous centres.

The seeds of Jacobinism which an ill wind had
blown across the Channel fell on thorny ground in
England and Scotland, although a stubborn crop of

4 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

sedition was raised under the diligent care of such men
as Tom Paine, 1 Dr. Priestley, 2 Thomas Muir, 8 and
Home Tooke. 4 Their efforts were aided by various
clubs and associations, of which the Friends of the
People, the Constitutional, Reform, and London Corre-
sponding Societies, and the Society for Constitutional
Information are typical examples. It was in the
fertile soil of Ireland that the Republican flower
blossomed in profusion. The fact that the Volunteer
movement of 1778-82, originally formed to protect the
island from a possible invasion by the French when
the regular Irish troops had been drafted to America,
had proved itself capable of weighing down the political
scales on the side of legislative independence was by
no means lost sight of by those who held advanced

1 Thomas Paine (1737-1809). In 1790-2 he published The
Rights of Man in answer to Edmund Burke's Reflections on the
French Revolution, for which he was tried and found guilty. Became
a member of the French National Convention, was thrown into
prison by Robespierre, and in 1802 sailed for the United States,
where he remained until his death. Large quantities of his Age of
Reason were distributed gratis in Ireland.

2 Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), theologian, philosopher and
author of many controversial works. In 1791 some of his friends
held a meeting to celebrate the fall of the Bastille, which so incensed
the mob that a riot ensued, Priestley losing his manuscripts, library
and apparatus by his house being wrecked. Like Paine, he ended
his days in the United States.

8 Thomas Muir (1765-1798), Parliamentary reformer. Arrested
for sedition 1793, transported to Botany Bay and escaped in 1796.
He died at Chantilly, the consequence of wounds received on board
a Spanish frigate at Cadiz.

John Home Tooke (1736-1812), politician and philologer.
He was found guilty of libel in connection with an attack on the
English ministry in the matter of the American War. Acquitted
of high treason, 1794. His chief literary work is The Diversions of
Purley.

THE SEEDS OF SEDITION 5

opinions. England's extremity was Ireland's oppor-
tunity. In 1779 a new era of prosperity seemed about
to follow one of stagnation and poverty. At last the
sister kingdom was at liberty to sell and buy in the
markets of the world, excepting only Great Britain, and
even this embargo appeared likely to be removed by
Pitt in 1785. Ireland was no longer the Ishmael
of the nations.

Unfortunately many manufacturers, especially in
Lancashire, raised a hue and cry against commercial
intercourse with the Emerald Isle, and the proposition
was so pruned in its final stage that the Irish patriotic
party would have none of it. As a consequence there
was retrogression instead of progress, the peasants
gradually lost heart, and when hope vanishes the in-
dividual either becomes as a reed shaken by the wind,
listless and without energy, the sport of every passing
zephyr, or the primal instinct of self-preservation by
fair means or foul asserts itself. Taking the nation
as a whole, the latter rule obtained. While Henry
Grattan * persistently held on his course of equal
political rights for the debarred Roman Catholic as
well as for the enfranchised Protestant, it soon became
evident that oratory alone would not bring about the
desired end, and Pitt's projects for Parliamentary
reform did little to rectify matters.

The coming event of 1800 cast its shadow in 1792,
as is evident in two very important letters in Pitt's

1 Henry Grattan (1746-1820). Called to the Irish Bar, 1772 ;
Member of the Irish Parliament, 1775. After the Union he repre-
sented Malton and subsequently Dublin in the House of Commons.

6 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

handwriting discovered some years ago. 1 Although
Sir Hercules Langrishe 2 introduced a Catholic Relief
Bill, which " was passed unwillingly to please the
English Cabinet," 3 Chatham's son, whom Macaulay
calls " the first English Minister who formed great
designs for the benefit of Ireland," makes it abun-
dantly clear that the Protestant establishment was
to be paramount. Writing to Lord Westmorland, 4
the Lord-Lieutenant, on the 2Qth January, 1792, he
admits that " We have thought only of what was the
most likely plan to preserve the security and tran-
quillity of a British and Protestant interest. . . .

" In the present situation I am so far from wishing
you to go farther than you propose that I really think
it would be unwise to attempt it. If any [attempt] is
made now or hereafter to gain more by force or menace
than Parliament is disposed to give, we must and will
resist it, or there is an end to all government.

"As to what may be wise for the future, I still be-
lieve that, not excluding a possibility even of further
concessions, if circumstances should admit of it, would
be the best security for the Protestant interest. But

1 In the Fane Collection in the Record Tower at Dublin Castle.
They were first printed by Mr. Henry Jephson in an able article on
" The Irish Parliament of 1782," which appeared in the Nineteenth
Century, No. 100, pp. 984-985.

2 Sir Hercules Langrishe (1731-1811), first baronet, created
1777.

3 The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century. By James
Anthony Froude, M.A. (Ed. 1895), Vol. III., p. 60.

4 John Fane (1759-1841), tenth Earl of Westmorland. Lord-
Lieutenant of Ireland 1789-1795 ; recalled 1795 ; Lord Privy Seal
1798-1827, excepting only from the 5th February, 1806, to the
25th March, 1807.

THE SEEDS OF SEDITION 7

I have no difficulty in saying to you that my opinion
will never be for bringing forward any concession
beyond what the public mind and the opinion of those
who are the supporters of British government or its
present establishment are reconciled to.

" I may have my own opinion as to expediency,
but I am inclined myself to follow theirs, not to attempt
to force it, and, as I have said already, every tumul-
tuous attempt to gain more than Government or
Parliament may be disposed to give must always be
resisted.

" Any pledge, however, against anything more in
future seems to me to be in every view useless and
dangerous, and it is what, on such a question, no
prudent government can concur in. I say nothing on
the idea of resisting all concessions, because I am in
hopes there is no danger of that line being taken.

" If it were, I should really think it the most fatal
measure that could be contrived for the destruction
ultimately of every object we wish to preserve."

The second letter is dated Downing Street, i8th
November, 1792 :

" DEAR WESTMORLAND, . . . The idea of the
present fermentation gradually bringing both parties
to think of a union with this country has long been in
my mind. I hardly dare flatter myself with the hope
of its taking place, but I believe it, though itself not
easy to be accomplished, to be the only solution for
other and greater difficulties.

" The admission of Catholics to a share of suffrage

8 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

could not then be dangerous. The Protestant interest,
in point of power, property, and Church establish-
ment, would be secure, because the decided majority
of the Supreme Legislature would necessarily be
Protestant ; and the great ground of argument on the
part of the Catholics would be done away ; as com-
pared with the rest of the Empire, they would become
a minority.

" You must judge when and to whom the idea
can be confided. It must certainly require great
delicacy and management, but I am heartily glad
that it is at least in your thoughts.

" Yours ever,

"W. PITT."

Secret societies and discontent invariably flourish
together. Ireland had been a warren of such re-
ligious, political, or social reform organisations as the
White Boys, Right Boys, Oak Boys, Whitefeet,
Blackfeet, True Blues, Peep-o'-Day Boys, and the
Defenders, while in 1791 the Society of United Irish-
men had come into being in Belfast, followed by in-
numerable Orange Lodges four years later. In 1793
the franchise was extended to the Roman Catholics,
but owing to the action of the United Irishmen in
caDing a convention at Athlone a proposed political
forcing-frame to raise further sprigs of concession
an Act was passed to preclude such meetings. 1 Tumult
and outrage in eleven counties, including Wexford,
made the summer of 1793 a memorable one, and the

1 33 George III., cap. 29.

THE SEEDS OF SEDITION 9

Irish Parliament voted a levy of 16,000 additional
Militia. 1 Coming events were again casting their
shadows before, but in a different direction.

When Lord Fitzwilliam, 2 with many optimistic
promises, took up his residence in Ireland at the be-
ginning of 1795, affairs once more put on a rosier com-
plexion. Popular enthusiasm, never at the best of
times a particularly stable quality, sank to zero when
the new Lord-Lieutenant, who had shown his trump
card of Catholic emancipation too soon, was per-
emptorily recalled in the February of the following
year. A close study of Froude's chapter on " The
Fitzwilliam Crisis " shows that Fitzwilliam acted on
his own responsibility, and committed himself to a
policy antagonistic to the instructions given to him by
the home Cabinet. In other words, his crime was in
endeavouring to govern Ireland on behalf of her in-
habitants rather than from England's point of view.
On the I2th February, 1795, Grattan moved for leave
to bring in a Bill for " the relief of his Majesty's
Roman Catholic subjects." If we may infer from the
fact that not a single Protestant petition was presented

1 A History of the British Army. By the Hon. J. W. Fortescue
(London : 1906), Vol. IV., p. 217.

* William Wentworth Fitzwilliam, second Earl Fi tzw illiam in
England and fourth in Ireland (1748-1833). At first a Whig, he
dissented from Mr. Fox when the latter approved of French revolu-
tionary ideas. Appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland the loth
December, 1794, and recalled. He landed at Dublin on the 4th
January, 1795, and returned to England on the 25th March, 1795.
President of the Council from the nth July to the i7th December,
1794. Lord Fitzwilliam held the same office in the Grenville Ad-
ministration from the igth February, 1806, to the 8th October of
the same year.

io THE WAR IN WEXFORD

against it the scheme was certainly popular and would
have supplied " a long felt want." x There were only
three dissentients ; 2 opposition came from the Duke
of Portland, 3 Fitzwilliam's immediate chief, who had
entered into the coalition on the distinct understand-
ing that he should have " the general management
and superintendence of Ireland." 4 Fitzwilliam was
sacrificed, and it is significant that the Irish House of
Commons declared that he " merited the thanks of
this House and the confidence of the people," 6 a
sentiment approved by the Upper Chamber and ap-
plauded at many a less important gathering. A recent
writer remarks with reference to Grattan's proposition
that " There can be little doubt that with the support
of the Government it would have been carried ; but
suddenly this policy of conciliation was reversed ;
Lord Fitzwilliam was recalled, and a veto was put
upon the further progress of the measure. There
followed as a consequence the Catholic rebellion of
1798, put down with ruthless force ; the Catholics
were cowed and dismayed, and the occasion seemed a
fit one to Pitt and the English Government to effect

1 Two Centuries of Irish History, 1691-1870, with Introduction by
James Bryce, M.P. (London: 1888), p. 138.

2 Ibid., p. 136.

3 William Henry Cavendish Bentinck (1738-1809), third Duke
of Portland ; succeeded to Dukedom 1762 ; Lord Lieutenant of
Ireland 1782 ; Prime Minister 1783 ; Home Secretary 1794-1801 ;
Prime Minister 1807-1809. The passing of the Act of Union with
Ireland was largely due to his exertions.

* Lord Fitzwilliam to Lord Carlisle, Plowden, Vol. II., p. 467.
See also Irish Parliamentary Debates, Vol., XIV., p. 184. Ibid.,
P- 134.

5 2nd March, 1795.

THE SEEDS OF SEDITION n

the Union and to put an end to a separate Irish Par-
liament." 1

When Lord Camden 2 was appointed to succeed
FitzwilKam as Viceroy, the Duke of Portland made it
abundantly clear why his predecessor had failed.
"As to the Catholic question," he writes, " it was
understood that Lord Fitzwilliam was to prevent it
being agitated at all. If he failed he was to use his
diligence in collecting the opinions and sentiments of
all descriptions of persons, and transmit them for the
information of his Majesty. Things are no longer in
the same state, but our general directions to you are
the same." Grattan, as we have seen, was about to
introduce a Bill for the further relief of the Roman
Catholics, and Camden was advised not to negative its
first reading. From what follows it is obvious that
after this formality it was to be opposed tooth and
nail. He was warned of the divisions among the anti-
Catholics, but "provided the great body of the Pro-
testants will exert themselves in the contest, you are
authorised to give them the most decided and un-
reserved support, and make every exertion they can
desire to prevent the admission of the Catholics to
seats in the Legislature." Seminaries for the education
of Catholic priests 3 and provision for the Catholic

1 " The Two Unions," by G. Shaw Lefevre, in the Contemporary
Review, April, 1886, p. 575.

2 Sir John Jeffreys Pratt (1759-1840), second Earl and first
Marquis of Camden; Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1794-1798;
Secretary of War 1804-1805 ; President of the Council 1805-1806
and 1807-1812. Created Marquis of Camden 1812.

3 The proposal was introduced by Mr. Pelham on the 24th
April, 1795, and to which Maynooth owes its existence.

12 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

parochial clergy were regarded as " measures likely
to improve the condition and satisfy the minds of the
Catholics, without endangering the Protestant Estab-
lishment."

Had Camden been an angel in disguise it must be
conceded that no little difficulty would have been
experienced by him in carrying out the Utopian
advice so persuasively set forth in the concluding
paragraph, which is preluded by the sentence, " One
caution more," and may or may not reveal intense
irony on the part of the Duke of Portland. It
is as follows : " You will need all your prudence.
Those who fancied they were about to be sacrificed
will assume airs of exultation and triumph little suited
to conciliate those who have been stopped in the
career which they had just entered ; and the disap-
pointment of the latter may be productive of great
ill-humour and some violence. Moderate, soothe, con-
ciliate these jarring spirits. We have great confidence
in your judgment, firmness, and discretion." l

Grattan's Bill, which boldly asked for a total
repeal of the popery laws, was introduced on the 24th
April. It was read a second time on the 4th May, 1795,
and rejected by 155 to 84.2 There was a flood of
oratory lasting all day and all night, " and the ques-
tion of Catholic Emancipation was dismissed from the
Irish Parliament, to be raised again as opportunity
offered for purposes of faction, but never more with

1 Instructions to Lord Camden, loth March, 1795. Froude,
Vol. III., pp. 158-161.

2 Memoirs of the Different Rebellions in Ireland. By Sir Richard
Musgrave, Bart. (Dublin, 1801), p. 134.

THE SEEDS OF SEDITION 13

serious prospect of acceptance, as long as Ireland had
a separate constitution." 1 We do not agree with the
" faction " phrase, but entirely with the one follow-
ing it.

A Bill of considerable importance was introduced
in the House of Commons in January, 1796, and be-
came law in the following March. That it was necessary
to stop the robberies and murders which occurred all
too frequently is obvious, but the methods adopted
were caustically drastic. Among other things it pro-
vided for the registration of persons possessing fire-
arms ; that when a district became disturbed the
Privy Council was to proclaim the disaffected part, and
that " all persons are required to keep within their
houses between sun-set and sun-rise ; and are liable
to be transported if found out of their houses in the
night. " Musgrave, who does not enter into the political
aspect of the rebellion to any great extent, preferring
the details of war to those of peace, waxes eloquent in
this matter. " In such parts of Ireland, as this salu-
tary law was enforced, it completely put an end to the
nocturnal ravages of the United traitors." 2 His belief
in the curfew bell is such that " Every person, ac-
quainted with the ferocious and sanguinary disposition
of the lower class of people in Ireland, will agree with
me, that this wise law should never be repealed." On
the other hand it is clear that " This put at the mercy
of every unscrupulous enemy, the life and liberty of
members of the popular party in the country. The

1 Froude, Vol. III., p. 173.

2 Musgrave, p. 149.

i 4 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Ascendency faction had but to burn down a cabin :
the expelled inmates were ' vagrants/ and could be
banished for life. Mercenary foes had but to swear
that a political or social antagonist had administered
an unlawful oath, and the executioner was set to
work." 1

When Fitzwilliam left the scene of his brief but
troubled career as Lord-Lieutenant, Ireland meta-
phorically donned mourning. The old religious differ-
ences became the burning topic of the hour, and God
help the country where theology and politics are the
alpha and omega of discussion. The United Irishmen,
after having been quiescent and not quashed as Govern-
ment had fondly hoped, suddenly took on a fresh and
invigorated lease of life, becoming an octopus whose
tentacles gradually spread throughout the length and
breadth of the land.

The forces at the disposal of the Government to
combat the monster were extremely small. The
Irish Military Establishment was fixed by Act of
Parliament at 15,000 men, but in the years 1793 and
1794 the ranks were depleted by 3,000 troops quartered
abroad. According to Fortescue, our greatest living
authority on such matters, the total for 1795, including
regulars and fencibles, was 20,246, with 21,369 militia ;
for the following year 19,012 regulars and fencibles and
22,698 militia. 2 The weak state of defence and the

1 Two Centuries of Irish History, p. 149.

2 Fortescue, Vol. IV., Part 2, p. 938. The Irish Establishment
signifies the number of troops for which the Irish Treasury provided
pay. Many of them were abroad, in fact nearly all the regular
infantry.

THE SEEDS OF SEDITION 15

difficulty in sending reinforcements may be gathered
from the letters printed below, and now first published: 1

" Horse Guards August 17 th 1796.

" Sir,

" I have the Honor to lay before Your Majesty
the Weekly States as likewise the different Memoranda
for Your Majesty's Approbation.

" I have likewise to report to Your Majesty that
Mr Pitt came to Me this Morning, and in the name of
Your Majesty's Ministers acquainted Me, that in con-
sequence of some very pressing Intelligence from the
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, it was deemed absolutely
necessary that a Reinforcement should be sent from
hence to Ireland as soon as possible. The only Rein-
forcement which it is in Our power to send at present
is the 6 th Dragoon Guards, and 12 th Light Drag 8 , and
the Manx and Loyal Tay Fencible Infantry.

" Your Majesty might likewise approve of the three
Foreign Corps of Lowenstein Hompesch and Waldstein
which are at present at the Isle of Wight, waiting to
be sent to the West Indies, being ordered to proceed
immediately to Cork, and to remain there till an
Opportunity offers to send them on to their Destina-
tion ; Should Your Majesty sanction these different
Arrangements, the Troops may be ordered to proceed
to Ireland immediately.

" Mr Dundas has likewise acquainted Me that a
Representation has been made both by M. Gen 1
Gordon and M-General Sir Hew Dalrymple, that in
case of any Accident happening to them, the Command

1 Mr. Broadley's Georgian MSS.

16 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

in both the Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, would
fall upon the Colonels of Fencibles, and begging there-
fore that a Brig. General might be appointed to each
Island under Them, I beg leave therefore to mention to
Your Majesty the Names of Colonels Burton and Monson
to be appointed Brigadiers General in those Islands.

" I mean to pay My Duty to Your Majesty at Wey-
mouth next Sunday, and hope to be able to lay before
You Sir, different Papers concerning the interior
Arrangements in case of an Invasion, as likewise con-
cerning the Reduction of most of the French Corps.
" I have &c.

" (signed) FREDERICK." 1

" Weymouth Aug 4 19 h 1796.

" My Dear Frederick, I approve of the 6 th Reg 4 of
Dragoon Guards and the 12 th Light Dragoons return-
ing to Ireland as also the Loyal Tay Fencible Cavalry ;
the foreign Corps of Lowenstein Hompesch and Wald-
stein now in the Isle of Wight may be sent to Cork till
they can proceed to the West Indies.

" I approve of Colonels Burton and Monson being
placed as Brigadiers on the Staffs of Guernsey and
Jersey as it would not be desirable the Commands
should devolve to Fencible Colonels.
' The Memorandas are all very proper.
" I am glad you think of arriving here on Sunday,
believe me ever

" My Dear Frederick

' Your most Affectionate Father

" GEORGE R."

1 On the 3rd April, 1798, the Duke of York was appointed
Commander-in-Chief.

THE SEEDS OF SEDITION 17

"H.R.H. to the King.

" London September 8 h 1796.

"Sir

" I have the Honor to transmit to Your Majesty
the Monthly Returns, and Weekly States, and to lay
before You, Sir, for Your Approbation the Recom-
mendations for the vacant Commissions, I must at
the same time humbly beg Your Majesty's pardon for
not having sent these Papers Yesterday, but having
had a very long Conference with Mr Pitt and Mr Dun-
das, and afterwards with the Duke of Portland upon
several points, I was too late for the Mail.

" In the Conference I had with Your Majesty's
Ministers, after due Consideration it was determined
to offer the Command of the Army in Ireland to Sir
Charles Grey, 1 but to My great Surprize when I men-
tioned it to Him this Morning, He has absolutely
refused it, and in a Manner which convinces Me, that
He has completely made up His mind. He excuses
Himself upon the precarious State of His Health, but
thinks Himself fully adequate to continue in the Com-
mand of the Southern District. Under these Circum-
stances it is very difficult to know who to recommend
to Your Majesty for the very important Situation of
Commander in Chief in Ireland, and the least objec-
tionable Arrangement in My opinion would be, to
endeavor to persuade Lord Carhampton 2 to accept
of it.

1 Sir Charles Grey (1729-1807), called the " No-flint General,"
General 1795 ; created Baron Grey de Howick 1801 ; Earl 1806.

8 Lord Carhampton accepted the post, resigning in November,
1797-

i8 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

"I am at present employed in making out the
General Disposition of the Troops upon the Breaking
up of the Camps, which I must humbly propose to
Your Majesty may take place at the latter End of this
Month, as not only it will hinder the Increase of
Disease, which generally takes place in all Camps
during the Autumn, but will likewise be a very con-
siderable Saving in the Expence, as the Bargains with
the Contractors for the Bread, Hay, Straw &c were
made at the time when these Articles were at a most
extraordinary price, Government now loses near five
and Twenty pr Cent upon them.

" As the Declaration is made out I shall have the
Honor to lay it before Your Majesty.

" (signed) FREDERICK."

"On board the S* Fiorenzo, Sept. io h , 1796.

" My Dear Frederick, Yesterday I received your
Box containing the Monthly Returns and Weekly
States ; I approve of the proposed douceur for Lieu-
tenant General O'Hara whose Finances at the present
moment must require that Assistance. I approve of
the Memorandas.

"It is curious so much interest was made that Sir
Charles Grey might be appointed to the Command of
the Forces in Ireland without its being known whether
it would be agreable to Him, He having declined, I
perfectly agree that the activity, tallents and local
advantages that Lord Carhampton is the fittest person
for that command. I have Sounded Sir William Pitt, 1

1 Sir William Augustus Pitt (1728-1809).

SIR DAVID DUNDAS, K.P.
From a contemporary portrait in the collection of Mr. A. M. Broadley

THE SEEDS OF SEDITION 19

who assures Me from having seen his conduct in Ire-
land that He is persuaded it will be an advantageous
Choise, I therefore approve of Your forwarding this
Arrangement ; but this will certainly make it not
right to press David Dundas to go there, for Carhamp-
ton is too active to require his private counsel, and
his Services may be highly useful in this Country.

" The Sooner the Troops can begin to get into
Barracks the better. I ever remain
" My Dear Frederik

" Your most Affectionate Father

" GEORGE R."

" P.S. The accompanying Memorial I received this
morning, Sir W. Pitt, Ld. Cathcart 1 and M. G. Gwynn
speak highly of Him ; but how he can be brought for-
ward I do not well see though I believe he is meri-
torious."

" To the Km - " Horse Guards

" October 28 th 1796.

" Sir,

" As it appears from the enclosed private Letter
from the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to the Duke of
Portland, which I have the Honor to transmit to Your
Majesty, that an Augmentation to the Staff of Ireland
is absolutely necessary, which the Lord Lieutenant is
desirous may take place as soon as possible, the Duke
of Portland has desired Me not to delay taking Your

1 Sir William Schaw Cathcart (1755-1843), tenth Baron Cath-
cart in the Scottish peerage, and first Viscount and Earl Cathcart.
He was Commander-in -Chief in Ireland, 1803-5.

20 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Majesty's Pleasure upon it, and to lay before Your
Majesty the Names of Major Generals Loftus and Hut-
chinson to be Major Generals, and of Colonel Ormsby
Knox and the Earl of Cavan to be Brigadier Generals,
according to the Recommendation of the Lord
Lieutenant. ^.^ FREDERICK

The majority of the prominent figures in the ranks
of the United Irishmen were lawyers and not soldiers,
although several of them had served as volunteers.
The idea seems to have emanated from the resourceful
brain of Theobald Wolfe Tone, 1 a man of considerable
ability but lacking in many of the qualities which go
to make up the successful commander. Protestants,
Dissenters, and Roman Catholics were admitted, for
civil and religious liberty coupled with national govern-
ment was the original platform, to be changed from
time to time until it became avowedly republican
and military. In 1796, after an enforced journey to
America, Tone went to France, and together with
E. J. Lewens, 2 an accredited representative of the
United Irishmen, entered into negotiations with the
Directory for the help which had been promised soon
after the declaration of war against England in 1793,
but had been declined. This was the first time that

1 Theobald Wolfe Tone (1763-1798). Called to the Bar 1789.
Sentenced to death by a Court Martial. Committed suicide the
1 9th November, 1798.

2 Edward John Lewens (1756-1828), an attorney by profession.
At the Union he was banished from Ireland, and taking up his
residence in France ultimately became inspector of studies at Paris
University.

THE SEEDS OF SEDITION 21

overtures had been made to the Great Nation, for it
was foreseen that there was a likelihood of the allies
turning conquerors, once they landed. The Junta
(Directory) of the United Irishmen now consisted of
Lord Edward FitzGerald, 1 the military chief who also
paid a flying visit to the Continent with reference to
the proposed assistance of the French O'Connor, 2
Emmet, 3 McNeven, 4 and Bond. 5 Their enthusiasm for
the cause they had so much at heart was scarcely ex-
ceeded, if at all, by Wolfe Tone himself. After con-
siderable delay an expedition was fitted out, and
14,000 men and an armament of seventeen sail-

1 Lord Edward FitzGerald (1763-1798), son of the first Duke
of Leinster. M.P. for Athy 1783-1790, for Co. Kildare 1790-1797.
He married Pamela, daughter of Egalite, Duke of Orleans, and
Madame de Genlis.

* Arthur O'Connor (1763-1852), M.P. for Philipstown 1791-1795.
Tried for high treason 1798, acquitted. Fox, Grattan, Sheridan,
Erskine, Whitbread, Lord Thanet and Lord John Russell (after-
wards Duke of Bedford) testified to his loyalty. O'Connor was
again arrested, and imprisoned at Fort George, 1799-1803. He
afterwards entered the French army, rising to the rank of
Lieutenant-General. He married the only daughter of Condorcet,
the celebrated French philosopher.

3 Thomas Addis Emmet (1764-1827). Called to the Bar but
did not practise. Arrested 1798. Confined in Fort George 1799-
1802. In 1804 he went to New York, where he became Attorney-
General of the State of New York.

* William James McNeven (1763-1841), physician. He visited
the Continent on behalf of the United Irish cause. Arrested 1 798 ;
was imprisoned at Fort George after giving evidence before the
Committee of the House of Lords. On his release he entered the
French army, but shortly afterwards went to America. He
prepared an elaborate report on the state of Ireland which was trans-
mitted to the French Government.

5 Oliver Bond (1758-1798), woollen draper of Dublin. He was
arrested on the i2th March, 1798 ; tried for high treason and found
guilty ; died in prison the 6th September, 1798.

22 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

of-the-line, thirteen frigates, and thirteen smaller
vessels left on the I5th December, 1796, under the
military command of Hoche. 1 What was fondly
hoped to be a master stroke against England proved
absolutely abortive, for Bonaparte's great rival did
nothing but lose several ships and make the name of
Ban try Bay for ever famous. 2 Napoleon afterwards
gave it as his opinion that Hoche's army, once dis-
embarked on Irish soil, would have been successful. 3

Had there been no rebellion in '98 it would be easy
to infer from the half-heartedness of the French
Government and the failure of a complete and definite
understanding with the United Irishmen that neither
of the parties took the matter seriously. Why Bantry
Bay should have been chosen as a rendezvous is not
quite clear from a military standpoint, as the peasants
in the south and west of Ireland were comparatively
lukewarm to those of the north, and it was necessary
to strike a heavy blow at English supremacy on land-
ing, pour encourager les autres. Miles Byrne confesses
that in the south " the United Irish system was scarcely
known there at that time," although " the people
everywhere sighed for that equality of civil and re-
ligious liberty so long refused to them." But no
amount of sighs will break fetters. If the evidence of

1 Lazare Hoche (1768-1797). Having successfully pacified La
Vendee and Brittany, and proved triumphant at Quiberon, he was
appointed to the above command. His victories over the Austrians
in the spring of 1797 were only arrested by the Peace of Leoben,
1 9th April, 1797.

2 A detailed account of this expedition will be found in the
authors' Napoleon and the Invasion of England, Vol. I., pp. 5-23.

3 Creasy's Invasions of England, Vol. II., p. 209.

THE SEEDS OF SEDITION 23

the London Gazette * is to be relied upon, the country
people in that part of Ireland, far from being well-
disposed towards the French, facilitated the march of
the yeomanry and volunteer corps, cleared the roads
of snow, shared their humble provender with them,
and showed intense loyalty. " In short," says Lord
Camden, the Lord-Lieutenant, " the general good
disposition of the people through the south and west
was so prevalent that had the enemy landed their
hope of assistance from the inhabitants would have
been totally disappointed. From the armed yeo-
manry government derived the most honorable assist-
ance." z

Charles Hamilton Teeling, 3 at the time a state
prisoner in Dublin, tells a different tale. " Hurry,
confusion, and disorder, marked the advance of the
army," he relates ; "all was terror, doubt and dismay ;
troops disaffected, horses wanting, the munitions of
war badly supplied, and even the bullet was unfitted
to the calibre of the cannon, which a defective com-
missariat had supplied. 4 . . . But the elements pro-
tected the empire for Britain, and the country was
preserved from the havoc of war. Hoche was sepa-
rated from his troops by the winter's storm ; and the
army having no instructions to land in his absence,
the expedition returned to the ports of France. This

1 See issues of the 3rd and 7th January, 1797.

2 Ibid., 1 7th January, 1797.

3 Charles Hamilton Teeling (1778-1850), brother of Bartholo-
mew Teeling, a prominent rebel.

* " Nine-pound shot was provided for six-pound cannon."
Note by Teeling, p. 39.

24 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

was a most interesting period for Ireland a single
breeze might have rendered it the most eventful." 1

In reality, two things conspired to thwart the am-
bitions of Hoche, the foul weather which separated
the fleet, and the indecision of Grouchy, 2 who had
6,500 men under him when he reached Bantry Bay.
Teeling's remark about " the army having no instruc-
tions to land " may be technically correct, but Admiral
Bouvet, Grouchy, and the remaining officers certainly
held a council of war and agreed to disembark the
troops, a decision which the military commander, who
was supreme once the vessels were at anchor, failed
to carry out, partly because of Bouvet's half-hearted
support. 3 The visit of an Irish peasant to one of the
ships who volunteered the information that there were
20,000 troops in the neighbourhood of Bantry and
that Lord Bridport's fleet was "off the Cape" was
not encouraging. 4 If the entire French force of 14,000
men had set foot in Ireland and been supported by
the second expedition which Hoche had urged the

1 History of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 : a Personal Narrative.
By Charles Hamilton Teeling (Glasgow : Cameron and Ferguson),
pp. 39-40. The book was first published in 1828.

2 Emmanuel, Marquis de Grouchy (1766-1847), Marshal of
France. For his services in connection with the pacification of
La Vendee he was made General of division, 1793. Joined the
Army of Italy under Joubert, 1798, and fought throughout the
Napoleonic Wars. Created a peer, 1832. He is principally known
to history as Napoleon's scapegoat at Waterloo.

3 Projets et Tentatives de Debarquement aux lies Britanniques.
Par Edouard Desbriere. (Paris: R. Chapelot et Cie, 1902.) Vol.1.,
p. 200.

* A Journal of the Movements of the French Fleet, in Bantry
Bay, from their first Appearance to their final Departure ; Compiled
from Notes taken on the spot, by Edward Morgan (Cork, 1797), p. 54.

THE SEEDS OF SEDITION 25

Directory to equip, the independence of Ireland might
have been accomplished, for the north would certainly
have risen. The optimism of the Lord Lieutenant is
not justified by figures, for when Grouchy was
hesitating within sight of land there were but 3,000
or 4,000 men to oppose him from Cork to Bantry, but
two pieces of artillery, and a total lack of ammunition
and provisions. 1

According to Morgan's account, " there could not
have been more than 400 troops in the town of Bantry,
150 in Drumaleague, and about 1,200 in the town of
Dunmanway, between which place and Bantry, half
way, the intended stand was to have been made. This
small army, when collected, might amount to 1,800
men. Allowing this force to be very inadequate to
the desperate nature of the service for which it was
intended, and that it was augmented by the troops
in the towns of Bandon and Cloghnakilty, both of
which places were near twenty miles from Drumaleague
bridge, the entire force then would not amount to
more than 4,000 men, of which about 800 were
Cavalry. Allowing this number of troops collected,
and that they arrived at the disputed bridge in time
to make the necessary dispositions to oppose the pro-
gress of the enemy's march ; they must have laboured
under a disadvantage which, in the opinion of some
military men, must have rendered their defeat certain
and decisive ; it was no less than (almost) the total
want of cannon. The only ordnance the troops
could have brought to the ground, were two incon-

1 Auckland Correspondence, Vol. III., p. 376.

26 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

siderable six-pounders, and which were never removed
from the town of Dunmanway." J Even the British
fleet was missing, and although Sir Edward Pellew, 2
with two or three frigates, had watched the enemy at
Brest, their armament had reached Bantry before
Admiral Colpoys, 3 his senior officer, was aware that his
quarry had left port.

" It is quite fresh in my memory," Miles Byrne solilo-
quises, " and I shall never forget it, the mournful
silence, the consternation of the poor people at the
different chapels on Christmas Day and the following
Sunday, after learning that the French had not landed,
and that the French fleet had returned to France.
Had Hoche been in command of his troops in the Bay
of Bantry, instead of Grouchy, he would have landed
them immediately, and from that moment the then
English Government was shaken to its centre." 4

In a proclamation which Hoche issued " To the
French Army destined to Assist the Irish Revolution "
the day before the expedition set sail, the commander
insisted that they were going to people who were
friends, " that we must treat them as such, and not
as a conquered people." A march to London to teach
Pitt a lesson was to be the master-stroke. Pitt ever
seems to have been the bete noire of the French at this
period. Making due allowance for the good intentions

1 Morgan, pp. 22-23.

a Sir Edward Pellew (1757-1833). He was raised to the Peerage
in 1814 as Baron Exmouth.

3 Sir John Colpoys (circa 1742-1821), a prominent figure in the
mutiny at Spithead, 1797.

* Memoirs of Miles Byrne. Edited by his widow (Dublin:
1907), Vol. I., p. 5.

GENERAL LAZARK HOCHE
From a contemporary portrait in the collection of Mr. A . M, Kroadley

THE SEEDS OF SEDITION 27

of " the pacificator of La Vende'e," it is doubtful
whether his Government would have allowed the Irish
to manage their own affairs had the British yoke been
thrown off. In all probability Ireland would have
been made a base for French expeditions against
" perfidious Albion." It was an age of international
piracy. The Republic was not given to helping lame
dogs over stiles without some ulterior object in view.

Hoche continued to cherish thoughts of another
expedition, but within nine months of his return he
was a dead man. The Dublin Press, a fiery newspaper
of the revolutionary type, published the following
eulogy : 1

" WEEP ! Gallia weep ! in sorrow droop thy head.
Thy Hoche, thy hero, and thy friend is dead ;
That man so truly great in freedom's cause,
That brave defender of his country's laws ;
Who, from her fields the Pitt-leagued tyrants chased,
And all the hordes of slaves that laid them waste ;
Made the crown'd robbers of his native soil,
Shake on their blood-stain'd thrones and quit their spoil.
Now pale and breathless, lo ! the hero lies,
As envious fate had call'd him to the skies,
But still unconquered, tho' resigned his breath,
He springs immortal from the arms of death ;
O ! friend of man, upon thy honoured bier,
The good and brave shall drop a grateful tear ;
Bright fame, thy virtues from oblivion save,
And snatch thy honours from the silent grave,
From age to age thy glorious deeds impart,
And make thy monument each Patriot's heart."

1 Popular Songs, Illustrative of the French Invasions of Ireland.
Edited, with Introductions and notes, by T. Crofton Croker (London :
The Percy Society, 1847), Parts III. and IV., p. 32 n.

28 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

The Irish military returns for 1797 show an increase
of 18,655 regulars and fencibles, the militia remaining
at the same figure as in the previous twelve months,
and a vote was taken also for yeomanry, both horse
and foot. 1 Reinforcements were slow in arriving,
however, and for the reasons stated in the following
dispatch 2 :

"Horse Guards 22 d Apl, 1797.

" Sir,

" I have the honour to acquaint Your Majesty
that M r Dundas has just been with me by the desire
of the Duke of Portland who is gone to attend Your
Majesty at Windsor, to inform me that in consequence
of the last dispatches from the Lord Lieutenant of
Ireland, Your Majesty's Ministers thought it absolutely
necessary to recommend to Your Majesty that a re-
inforcement both of Cavalry and Inf y should be sent
to Ireland as speedily as possible.

" Under the present circumstances of the Troops
in this Country, it would be impossible to spare any
regular Cavalry, and as almost the whole of the Re-
cruits of the Infantry of the Line are Irish it would
be by no means a Politic Measure to send any of y r
Regular Battalions to Ireland. I should therefore
humbly propose to Your Majesty that the Force to be
immediately sent should consist of two Fencible Regi-
ments of Cavalry and Three of Infantry.

" Should Your Majesty approve of this Proposal
I should recommend that the Romney and Ayrshire

1 Fortescue, Vol. IV., Part 2, p. 938.
* Mr. Broadley's Georgian MSS,

should be the regiments of Fencible Cavalry for Ireland,
both of whom have offered their Services, and that the
Three regiments of Fencible Infantry should be the
Dumbarton and Durham from Guernsey, and the
Northumberland from Jersey. And in order not to
diminish too much the Forces in these last Mentioned
Islands, that the 6i st Regt. should be sent from
Poole to Guernsey, and the Loyal Irish Fencible
Infantry from the Coast of Yorkshire to Jersey.
" I have the honor to be

"&c.

" (signed) FREDERICK.
"To The King."

CHAPTER II

THE REIGN OF MARTIAL LAW

When the people rebel the people are always right.

GOETHE.

FAR from forwarding the cause of Irish
independence, the French attempt had an
exactly opposite effect. Government took
up a most arbitrary position, whereas it is
quite possible that had concessions been granted the
smoking flax might have been quenched. 1 The good
behaviour of the peasants at Hoche's approach is
sufficient evidence that the wish for a rising was by
no means general. Martial law became the order of
the day in several counties, and on the i3th March,
1797, Lieutenant-General Lake, 2 then commanding
the Northern District, gave notice that he had " re-

1 See particularly Philip Harwood's History of the Irish
Rebellion of 1798 (London: 1848), pp. 121-123.

2 Gerald Lake (1744-1808), first Viscount Lake of Delhi and
Leswarree. Served in the Seven Years' War, 1760-1762, in North
Carolina, and in Holland, 1793. His first experience in Ireland
was as aide-de-camp to General Sir Richard Pierson, and in 1794
he was appointed Governor of Limerick. Commanded in Ulster,
December, 1796- April, 1798. Commander-in-Chief from the 25th
April, 1798, until the 2oth June, 1798. Commander-in-Chief in
India, 1800-1807 (with a brief interval), and as such defeated
the Mahrattas, reduced Agra, took from Scindia all his posses-
sions beyond the river Chumbul, and defeated Holkar.

THE REIGN OF MARTIAL LAW 31

ceived authority and directions to act in such manner
as the public safety may require." This proclamation,
half threat and half compromise, is so important as
to warrant its reproduction in full :

" Belfast, March 13, 1797.

" WHEREAS the daring and horrid outrages in many
parts of this province, evidently perpetrated with
a view to supersede the laws and the administra-
tion of justice by an organised system of murder and
robbery, have increased to such an alarming degree,
as from their atrocity and extent to bid defiance to
the civil power, and to endanger the lives and proper-
ties of his Majesty's faithful subjects ; and whereas,
the better to effect their traitorous purposes, several
persons who have been enrolled under the authority of
his Majesty's commission, and others, have been
forcibly and traitorously deprived of their arms ; it is
therefore become indispensably necessary for the
safety and protection of the well-disposed to interpose
the King's troops under my command : and I do
hereby give notice that I have received authority
and directions to act in such manner as the public
safety may require. I do therefore hereby enjoin and
require all persons in this district (peace officers and
those serving in a military capacity excepted), forth-
with to bring in and surrender up all arms and ammu-
nition which they may have in their possession to the
officer commanding the King's troops in their neigh-
bourhood.

" I trust that an immediate compliance with this

32 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

order may render any act of mine to enforce it un-
necessary.

" Let the people seriously reflect, before it is too
late, on the ruin into which they are rushing ; let
them reflect upon their present prosperity, and the
miseries in which they will inevitably be involved by
persisting in acts of positive rebellion ; let them in-
stantly, by surrendering up their arms, and by restor-
ing those traitorously taken from the King's forces,
rescue themselves from the severity of military au-
thority. Let all the loyal and well-intentioned act
together with energy and spirit in enforcing subordina-
tion to the laws, and restoring tranquillity in their
respective neighbourhoods, and they may be assured
of protection and support from me.

" And I do hereby invite all persons who are enabled
to give information touching arms or ammunition
which may be concealed, immediately to communicate
the same to the several officers commanding his
Majesty's forces in their respective districts ; and, for
their encouragement and reward, I do hereby promise
and engage that strict and inviolate secresy shall be
observed with respect to all persons who shall make
such communication, and that every person who shall
make it shall receive a reward the full value of all
such arms and ammunition as shall be seized in con-
sequence thereof.

" G. LAKE, Lieutenant-General

" Commanding the Northern District."

Two months later even more decisive measures were
taken. A proclamation issued on the iyth May offering

THE REIGN OF MARTIAL LAW 33

a general amnesty to all who would surrender and
deliver up their arms on or before the 24th June was
followed by an order which virtually handed over
the country to the whims of the soldiery :

" Adjutant-General's Office, i8th May, 1797.

" In obedience to an order of the Lord-Lieutenant
in Council, it is the Commander-in-Chief's commands
that the military do act without waiting for directions
from the civil magistrate in dispersing any tumul-
tuous or unlawful assemblies of persons threatening
the peace of the realm and the safety of the lives and
property of his Majesty's loyal subjects wheresoever
collected." l

This was a terrible weapon to put in the hands of the
military. Lake succeeded in collecting no fewer than
29,583 firelocks, pikes, etc., in Ulster and Leinster
alone. 2 The United Irishmen, intimidated but still
undaunted, pursued the uneven tenor of their ways,
mapped out the land, collected statistics likely to be
of service, and made covert preparations for a coming
finale. " It is evident," we are told in the Memoirs of
Lord Edward FitzGerald, 3 " that there was still arms
enough in their possession to give them confidence in
their own strength, as their first impulse was to rise and
employ them against their despoilers." Miles Byrne
says that " United Irishmen were made by thousands
daily," 4 and although this is probably an exaggera-

1 Diary of Sir John Moore. Edited by Major-General Sir J. F.
Maurice, K.C.B. (London : 1904), Vol. I., p. 285.

2 Report of the Secret Committee, Appendix, No. XXXIX., p. 298.

3 p. 239.

4 Memoirs of Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 6.

34 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

tion, it is certain that the number of recruits was
rapidly growing.

It is no good disguising the patent fact that, in the
words of Alison, these threats " failed in producing any
pacification." He mentions the proclamation of the
i7th of May, but does not refer to the order issued on
the following day. " In effect," he adds, " the search
for arms was productive of the very worst results, and
contributed more than any other circumstance to
spread hatred at the English rule in the whole island.
The regular military force being so small, it was only
by the militia and yeomanry that the search could in
general be made ; and it was just setting one portion
of the population, in the highest state of exasperation,
to lord it over the other. The living at free quarters,
and the domiciliary visits in search of arms, conducted
by these zealous but over-excited and disorderly
bands, were too often executed with an amount of
harshness and cruelty which awakened an uncon-
trollable thirst for vengeance. 1 Above all, the cus-
tom, which soon became too common, of inflicting
military flogging in order to compel the disclosure and
surrender of arms, excited universally the most in-
dignant feelings, and has more than any other
circumstance fixed hatred at the British Government
in Ireland." 2

1 Both Lake and Knox advocated the burning of houses.
See A History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century. By William
Edward Hartpole Lecky (London: ed. 1892), Vol. IV., p. 203.

2 Lives of Lord Castlereagh and Sir Charles Stewart. By Sir
Archibald Alison, Bart. (Edinburgh : William Blackwood and
Sons, 1861), Vol. I., p. 46.

The yeomanry had been embodied as the result of
a proposal made by Government towards the end of
1796. In the Report from the Comynittee of Secrecy it is
observed " with great satisfaction, that the estimate
for the yeomanry as first laid before Parliament was
for a number not exceeding 20,000 men that in the
course of six months above 37,000 were arrayed ; and
that the zeal of the country had so risen with its diffi-
culties, that during the late rebellion, the yeomanry
force exceeded 50,000 men, and might have been in-
creased to a much greater extent. It is unnecessary
to recal to the recollection and gratitude of parliament
and of the country, the services they have performed
during the unhappy struggle in which we have been
engaged ; sharing all the hardships and dangers, and
performing all the duties in common with the King's
regular and militia forces." 1 As a general rule each
company consisted of about fifty men, the majority
of them cavalry, with a captain and two lieutenants.
Those mounted on horses were provided with a pistol
and a sword, sometimes a carbine, the infantry having
weapons similar to those of the regular troops. 2 The
following letters from Lord Mount Norris show that
while he did not anticipate that Wexford was to raise
the biggest crop of sedition, he was particularly
anxious that his corps should be fully equal to any
emergency that might arise :

1 Report from the Committee of Secrecy. Reported by the Rt.
Hon. Lord Viscount Castlereagh, Martis 21 die Augusti, 1798, p. 5.

z History of the Rebellion in Ireland in the Year ifg8, etc. By
the Rev. James Gordon (Dublin: 1801), pp. 62-63.

36 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

[Undated.]

" I have received your letter, and should be very
sorry, my Dear Sir, to be of your opinion relative to
the County of Wexford, where I do really believe
the baneful Spirit of Defenderism had made some
Progress, but not to that Degree you suppose. I never
will suffer so narrow an Idea to warp my Mind ' that
the Mass of the People have been corrupted/ for as
a Christian I never can permit Suspicion to amount
in my Breast to the Evidence of positive Fact, for I
have no right to judge any man, nor to put the worst
Construction on every man's actions, as that would
argue a Distrust of all the World ! What a melancholy
pitiful Predicament should we find ourselves in, were
we to be cramped with Doubts of the Sincerity of every
man's Sentiments and conduct ! Was I even to sport
a Solicism on this occasion, nothing should induce me
to forgo the Idea ! The Army are ready and every
thing shall be prepared to prevent Delay in Dublin.
As I shall be anxious to consult, on this and every
future occasion, the Convenience of our Corps, you
will have the Goodness to apprize Chillingworth two
days before you set out, as he will have two Cars sent
to Town for oats, and they can bring back the Arms.
I have got so great an Inflamation in my left Eye,
that I can scarcely see to add that I am, My dear Sir,

" Your's faithfully,

,TT ., . . r ,, " M* NORRIS."

Write to me on receipt of this.
[" Address : Lieut* Smyth, 1

Camolin Cavalry, Bally duff."]

1 In the Detail Book the name is invariably spelt " Smith."

THE REIGN OF MARTIAL LAW 37

" Dear Sir, " March 9 th . *797-

" I thank you for your letter. The Disappoint-
ment about the Belts has been great to me, and the
sad Illness with which I have been afflicted of late,
has vexed me, having prevented my return to my
Corps, at which I have been not a little vexed. I am
glad to find that Peter Crannel is entered, and I beg
he may [be] attested, as it is a proper form to go thro'.
It is a pleasing Circumstance, to have Tennants and
Neighbours of respectability in our Volunteer Associa-
tion, in our common Cause. The Helmets may be
given out whenever L 1 Bookey and you shall think
proper. I only deferred the giving them out 'till I
went down to the Country. You will please to give
Crannel his, and also to reserve one for the other
Person you wish to come into our Troop, who you w d
not recommend to my Protection, did you not think
him worthy of it. I have written this letter with a
good deal of Pain, as I am slowly recovering from a
Pleuresy, which was very violent.
" I am, My dear sir,

" very faithfully Yrs,

" M* NORRIS."

[Address : " Dublin March nine, 1797. Lieut 1
Smyth, Camolin Cavalry, Ballyduff, Gorey. Mount
Norris."]

" Dear Sir, " March l6th > *797-

" You could not have introduced two young
men into our Corps, of better Character than young
Crannel and young Bass, and when we can pick a very

38 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

few equally respectable, I shall be glad to have
them substituted in the Room of those, who have been
least diligent and attentive. I am recovering, tho'
slowly. I long to be in the Country.
" I am, my dear Sir,

" faithfully Your's,

" M* NORRIS.

" Give my Service to our brother Volunteers. Tell
Jimmy Blake that I have not time to write to-day,
but shall by next Post."

[Address : " Dublin March Sixteen, 1797. L* Smyth,
Ballyduff, Gorey. Mount Norris."]

t( ~ ~. Dublin, March 20, 1797.

" I thank you much for your letter, and for the
requisition which young Brownrigg of Ballywater,
young Crannel, and young Bass must be to any Corps.
L* Bookey and you will consult who ought to be struck
out of the Roll, to make room for them. Mess 18
Clifford and Barrington, for non attendance, should
be struck off the Roll, and I think that Carty can best
be spared next to them. I will again write to George
Sparks, who I trust will give due attendance, for un-
less our Corps do appear on Duty, they are doing an
Injury, instead of rendering a Service to me and to
my Friends. I hope to be able to attend Parade on
Sunday, God willing.

" I am, Dear Sir,

" Your's faithfully,

" MOUNT NORRIS.

FACSIMILK OF ONE OF THE MOUNT XORRIS I.KTTERS

THE REIGN OF MARTIAL LAW 39

[Address : " Dublin March Twenty one, 1797. L*
Smyth, Camolin Cavalry, Ballyduff, Ballycanon, Gorey.
Mount Norris."]

" Dear Sir, March 28th > J 797-

" Even if I had not had a Relapse, I should
have been tempted to wait a few days for Sir F. Flood, 1
with whom I am to set off, God willing, for my Troop
on Thursday. Surely my young friend Fitz Henry
cannot think of quitting our Volunteer Corps at this
time, when we are upon the Eve, I may say, of being
inspected, and when his appearance, as one of our
Body, is so much to be desired. If this should be the
Case, I am sure that he will not desert his Friends at so
critical a Juncture, when the Honor of the Yeoman is at
stake. I thank you for getting young Brownrigg,
Crannel and Bass enrolled. There is nothing new in
Town, but we are impatient for good Accounts from
the British Fleets. 2

" I am, Dear Sir,

" Your's faithfully,

" MOUNT NORRIS.

[Address : " Dublin March Twenty Eight, 1797.
L* Smyth, Ballyduff, Ballycanon, Gorey. Mount
Norris."]

1 Sir Frederick Flood (1741-1824); M.P. for Co. Wexford 1776;
created a baronet 1780 ; M.P. for Wexford in Imperial Parliament
1800-1818. He took a prominent part in the Volunteer movement,
and vigorously opposed the Union.

8 The invasion of Wales by Hoche's Black Legion under Colonel
Tate, on the 22nd February, 1797, was still " the talk of the town,"
and other attempts were thought imminent. For a full account
of this expedition of jail-birds see Napoleon and the Invasion of

40 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

In addition to the yeomanry corps there was the
militia, made up of raw recruits for the most part, the
term of enlistment having expired at a most unpro-
pitious and unfortunate time, with the inevitable
result that there was more than a suggestion of the
ranks being tainted by sedition. All sorts and con-
ditions of men were to be met with in this body, and
as the majority of the militia were Roman Catholics
and their officers Protestants who had " so little sense
or prudence as not to conceal their prejudices," 1 the
internal condition of some of the regiments may be
imagined. Insubordination was almost as general as
falling leaves in autumn. The rebels were frequently
recruited by deserters from the militia, and they cer-
tainly looked forward to the day when, augmented
by their diffident French allies, that body would cede
and become definitely attached to the Irish revolu-
tionary cause.

The troops under Lord Carhampton and General
Lake lost all restraint, ran amok, plundered and
pillaged, and put men, women, and children to the
sword. The former officer resigned in November, 1797,
and was succeeded by Sir Ralph Abercromby. 2 " That

England, Vol. I., pp. 31-73. The British navy gave a good account
of itself during the year. On the i4th February the fleet under
Admiral Sir John Jervis won a magnificent victory over the Spanish
fleet off St. Vincent, and on the nth October the Dutch fleet was
crippled off Camperdown by Admiral Duncan. See post, p. 64.

1 Diary of Sir John Moore, Vol. I., p. 275.

2 Sir Ralph Abercromby (1734-1801), K.B. 1795 ; Lieutenant-
General 1797. Served with the Duke of York in Holland ; com-
manded the Egyptian expedition 1801. Defeated the French at
Aboukir, the 8th March, 1801, and at Alexandria, the 2ist inst,
when he was mortally wounded.

THE REIGN OF MARTIAL LAW 41

fierce light which beats upon a throne" is as nothing
compared to the searching rays which have been
flooded upon the future hero of Aboukir and his policy
in Ireland. To some historians he is a military Fitz-
william, and would have been the saviour of the
country ; to others, including Froude, he is scarcely
more than a rebel in royalist clothing. But is Froude
correct when he asserts that Abercromby was " entirely
ignorant of Ireland " ? l Hay flatly contradicts the
assertion by stating that, " having been quartered in
Ireland, through most of his gradations of well-
merited promotion, he possessed a perfect local know-
ledge of the country." 2 In this he is supported by
Lecky, who says : "He knew Ireland well, having
been quartered there before the outbreak of the war
of the American Revolution, and having remained there
during the whole period of its continuance." 3 We
know from Abercromby's letters to his son that he
made a personal inspection of the districts which had
been proclaimed, and far from seeing eye to eye with
Camden, found few places where the slightest signs of
disturbance were evident. Froude makes much
capital out of the fact that he " forbade the soldiers to
act anywhere under any circumstances in suppressing
riots, arresting criminals, or in any other function,
without the presence and authority of a magistrate." 4
In other words, he disobeyed the order of the i8th

1 Froude, Vol. III., p. 352.

2 History of the Insurrection of the County of Wexford, A.D.

By Edward Hay, Esq. (Dublin: 1803), p. 43.

3 Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 197.

4 Froude, Vol. III., p. 352.

42 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

May, which order, in Gordon's opinion, was " a
temporary violation of the political constitution for
its ultimate safety." * This is merely a polite way of
saying that it was illegal, and we think his judgment
a just one. Abercromby certainly restrained his
troops in this as in other matters. " Sir Ralph told
me," says Moore, " that the proclamation and order
in consequence of it, formerly issued in Lord Car-
hampton's time, had never been acted upon [i.e. by
Abercromby] ; but a special order and Act of in-
demnity and pardon having since passed, they were
considered as thereby annulled. In one instance only
since his arrival at a place in the north had
an officer acted without a magistrate, and he was
immediately stopt." 2 While we cannot condemn
Froude for not having knowledge of this particular
document, there is one from Camden to Abercromby
dated the i5th March, 1798, in which the former says,
" You have had the candour to acknowledge that you
did not consider the proclamation of May 18 as then
in force," 3 which he ignores.

Froude further remarks that " In issuing an order
in direct contradiction of the Lord-Lieutenant, Sir
Ralph Abercrombie was himself setting a most signal
example of the insubordination which he condemned ;
and had he been as right essentially as he was utterly
wrong and headstrong, his manner of proceeding
would have been without excuse." 4 He then pro-

1 Gordon, p. 25.

2 Diary of Sir John Moore, pp. 286-287.

3 Dunfermline's Abercromby, p. 101.

4 Froude, Vol. III., p. 353.

THE REIGN OF MARTIAL LAW 43

ceeds to tell us that Camden, without saying a word
to Abercromby or to the Cabinet, renewed his own
instructions. The command of the Lord-Lieutenant
being supreme in military, as in other matters, he
presumably had a right to do so, but it was an unjust
procedure from Abercromby's point of view and left
him in a very unhappy position. It is evident from
Camden's reply to Portland when the latter got to
hear of the affair, that the Viceroy did not wish to
stir up strife. " He had therefore passed it over and
explained it away, and in Ireland it was already for-
gotten." 1 Then why did the home Government
raise the question so persistently ? Ireland and
Camden being satisfied, England should have ceased
to probe the wound.

Lecky shows us the other side of the shield, and
points out that Abercromby not only accepted the
command with great reluctance, but wrote to England
" that he understood that, with the exception of the
patronage, the army was to be totally under his com-
mand ; and that he must come to a clear understand-
ing on this point, as a command divided between him-
self and the Lord-Lieutenant was entirely incom-
patible with good administration ; while Camden
wrote confidentially that Abercromby was not easy
to get on with, and very peremptory about managing
military matters himself." 2 The historian also admits
that, while many of the outrages were " mere isolated

1 Froude, Vol. III., p. 354.

2 Dalrymple to Pelham, igth Nov. ; Knox to Pelham, 29th Nov. ;
Abercromby to Elliot, 2$th Dec. ; Camden to Pelham, 26th Dec.,
I797- Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 198.

44 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

acts of drunken or half-disciplined soldiers ... a
large class, of which the burning of houses formed the
most conspicuous example, were illegal acts of violence
deliberately carried out in places where murders had
been committed or where arms had been concealed,
and deliberately screened by men in authority from
the intervention of the law courts." x Abercromby's
famous general orders enjoining all commanding offi-
cers " to compel from all officers under their command
the strictest and most unremitting attention to the
discipline, good order, and conduct of their men, such
as may restore the high and distinguished reputation
the British troops have been accustomed to enjoy in
every part of the world," are noticed elsewhere. 2
Lecky says that these orders were " certainly not un-
called for by the circumstances of the case," 3 and
quotes part of Pelham's defence in Parliament, which
Froude ignores. The same authority goes further by
drawing our attention to the various unscrupulous
methods of the cabal against the man whom Clare 4
called " this Scotch beast." 5 He thinks that Aber-
cromby " greatly underrated the extent of the con-
spiracy, and the real imminence of the danger," 6 but
of the honest purpose of the Commander he has no

1 Lecky, Vol. IV., pp. 201-202.

2 See post, p. 301.

3 Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 204.

* John Fitzgibbon (1749-1802), Baron Fitzgibbon 1789 ; Earl
of Clare 1795 ; Lord Fitzgibbon in England 1799 ; Attorney-
General in Ireland 1783 ; Irish Chancellor 1789-1802.

5 Auckland Correspondence, Vol. III., pp. 393-397 (quoted by
Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 207).

6 Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 213.

THE REIGN OF MARTIAL LAW 45

doubt. Lecky thus concludes : " Abercromby is
nearly the last figure of any real interest that, in the
eighteenth century, flitted across the troubled scene
of Irish politics. He left Ireland towards the end of
April, just a month before the rebellion broke out,
and he was replaced by Lake, who, more, perhaps,
than any other military man, was associated with the
abuses which Abercromby had tried to check. The
reign of simple force was established beyond dispute,
and the men whose policy had driven Lord Fitzwilliam
from Ireland, and Grattan from Parliament, were now
omnipotent." 1 Froude gives us a different epitaph :
" He [Abercromby] seemed to have come to Ireland
to effect the utmost extremity of mischief which his
opportunities allowed him." 2

There can be little doubt that Camden was dis-
appointed in the promotion of Abercromby to the
post of Commander-in-Chief. He had hoped, with
some reason, that Cornwallis 3 would have occupied
the position. Writing to the latter on the 23rd May,
1797, urging him to do so, he says " that that patriotism
would be still more extended if you could be prevailed
upon to accept the Lord Lieutenancy of this kingdom."
One must not infer that this was a mere passing
pleasantry, but it is significant that Camden adds

1 Lecky, Vol. IV., pp. 214-215.

2 Froude, Vol. III., p. 375.

3 Charles Mann (1738-1805), first Marquis and second Earl
Cornwallis. Commanded in American War, forced to surrender
1781 ; Governor of Bengal 1786-1793 ; Viceroy and Commander-
in-Chief in Ireland 1798-1801 ; negotiated Peace of Amiens 1801-
1802 ; Governor-General of India, 1805.

46 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

that he understands that Cornwallis would on "no
consideration " accept the post. " The commission
which I hold," he goes on, " renders my name and
assent necessary to the official forms of business.
If I knew in what manner consistent with that com-
mission to divest myself of that part of my duty, I
should immediately adopt it, but if I am constrained
to keep it, I beg to deliver over to your Lordship every
military regulation, and to put that part of my office
into your hands." * If Camden was willing to allow
this to Cornwallis, why did he not extend the same
favour to Abercromby ? The question apparently
admits of two answers : either he did not like the
general, or he had not sufficient reliance on his military
skill, in which case he should have raised a strong
objection at Downing Street. Cornwallis was a more
easy-going individual, and not so likely to dispute with
" the king of the Castle " in this case, of Dublin
Castle. " For your private ear," Cornwallis tells
Major-General Ross on the 3Oth March, 1798, " Aber-
cromby is coming from Ireland. He has been ex-
ceedingly wrongheaded." 2 Wrongheaded in not
making friends with Camden presumably, for we know
that Cornwallis censured the behaviour of the troops
himself when he came face to face with the problem.

Abercromby resigned the command when it was
obvious that under the present system little could be
done to calm the popular indignation or curb the law-
lessness of the troops. According to Froude he " closed

1 Cornwallis Correspondence, Vol. II., pp. 327-328.
* Ibid., p. 335.

THE REIGN OF MARTIAL LAW 47

a petulant defence of his conduct with an abrupt
resignation." * In reality he surrendered his post
and explicitly stated his reasons at the same time to
the Duke of York, the Commander-in-Chief of the
British Army. His alleged abruptness did not pre-
clude him from continuing in his almost untenable
position until his successor was appointed. " The
loss of Abercromby," writes Elliot, 2 "will not easily
be repaired." 3 We cannot but feel that Lord Hol-
land's* 4 remarks on this particular affair are just.
" His recall," writes the champion of the Whigs, " was
hailed as a triumph by the Orange faction ; and they
contrived about the same time to get rid of Mr. Secre-
tary Pelham, 5 who, though somewhat timeserving,
was a goodnatured and prudent man. Indeed, sur-
rounded as they were with burning cottages, tortured
backs, and frequent executions, they were yet full of
their sneers at what they whimsically termed the
' clemency ' of the Government, and the weak character
of their Viceroy, Lord Camden." 6

1 Froude, Vol. III., p. 355.

2 William Elliot (or Elliott), Under Secretary in Ireland 1797-
1801 ; Chief Secretary 1806-1807.

3 Elliot to Pelham, 3rd June, 1798. Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 397.
* Henry Richard Vassall Fox (1773-1840), third Lord Holland.

Lord Privy Seal 1806-7. He was nephew of Charles James Fox,
and an ardent Whig and Napoleonic partisan.

5 Rt. Hon. Thomas Pelham (1756-1826), Chief Secretary in
Ireland 1783 and 1795, resigned the 2nd November, 1798, but
remained Secretary of State for Ireland. Became second Earl
of Chichester 1805.

6 Memoirs of the Whig Party during my Time, Vol. I., p. 112.
This book was not published until after Lord Holland's death.

When they be bad, you shall no where meet with worse ; if they
be good, you can hardly find better. GlRALDUS CAMBRENSIS.

IN the autumn of 1797 it became evident that
the general dissatisfaction of the Irish people
had spread to Wexford. The discovery that a
number of blacksmiths had been paying more
attention to the manufacturing of pike-heads than to
the more legitimate work of shoeing horses and mend-
ing vehicles was as disconcerting as it was unexpected.
The county people began to fear for their safety, and
at a meeting of magistrates held at Gorey on the 20th
November, 1797, 16 out of 142 parishes were pro-
claimed. 1 Lord Mount Norris and seven other magis-
trates were in the minority, and wished to quell the
turbulent Roman Catholics by more peaceful methods.
Accompanied by several colleagues the former made
a tour of the neighbouring chapels during the time of
service and endeavoured to conciliate the congrega-
tions. We are therefore not inclined to agree with

1 Hay (p. 52) gives this number, Musgrave (p. 320) states it
as 19. Sir Richard Musgrave (circa 1757-1818), first baronet 1782 ;
M.P. for Lismore 1778. Although so pro-English he opposed the
Union.

THE OLIVE BRANCH IN WEXFORD 49

Sir Richard Musgrave, although he was Lord Mount
Norris's brother-in-law, that his lordship was per-
suaded " that the popish inhabitants and their priests
were perfectly innocent." x Were this so there would
have been no reason for the visits. On the contrary,
Taylor states that the Earl, " like a true friend to his
country, expostulated with them on the unreasonable-
ness of their proceedings. His Lordship pointed out
to them the happiness resulting from the constitution
under which they lived ; that a man of any persuasion
whatever, though his descent were ever so mean, who
should advance himself by honest means in the world,
and from nothing acquire abundance, would be pro-
tected by it, and that it was very wicked and ungrateful
to attempt to destroy those protectors of our persons,
rights and freedom ; that the laws of the realm pro-
tected the poorest cottager from the cruelties of a
rich oppressor ; and that there was no such thing as
wanton barbarity in our land. His lordship entreated
them to surrender the weapons of their rebellion, and
invited them to come in and take the oath of allegiance ;
he proposed to give them certificates of the same, and
hoped they would return to their duty. They all
seemed to be convinced, and several of the neighbour-
ing parishes accordingly assembled, headed by their
respective priests, and his Lordship administered to
them the oath." 2

1 Musgrave, p. 320.

2 A History of the Rise, Progress, and Suppression of the Rebellion
in the County of Wexford in the Year 1798. By George Taylor (ed.
Dublin, 1829), p. 1 8.

50 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Taylor was a staunch member of the Church of
England, 1 and his narrative is based on personal
knowledge and from information " received from
gentlemen of the strictest veracity." 2 Hay, who was
a Wexford man, and as intensely Roman Catholic as
Taylor was loyalist, insinuates that Lord Mount Norris
did not carry on his propaganda from purely patriotic
motives. He remarks that the Earl " must be natur-
ally supposed to feel substantial reasons for his oppo-
sition to have the part of the county proclaimed
wherein his property principally lay ; and it is to be
fairly presumed, (whatever ground may be had by
some reflecting people for thinking otherwise) that his
lordship was not influenced on this occasion at least,
by motives of opposition to Lord Ely, 3 his successful
rival in the patronage of the county. Shortly after
this meeting at Gorey," he adds, " I spent some days
at Camolin Park, the seat of Lord Mount Norris, while
he was soliciting the people, from parish to parish, to
take the oath of allegiance. His lordship requested I
would use what influence I might possess with the
priests in my neighbourhood, to induce them and
their flocks to join in this general test of loyalty, in
order, as he said, to put the catholic interest in the
county of Wexford on the most respectable footing ;

1 A History of the Rise, Progress, and Suppression of the Rebellion
in the County of Wexford in the Year 1798. By George Taylor (ed.
Dublin: 1829), p. 177.

2 Ibid., p. v.

3 Charles, first Earl of Ely of the second creation (1738-1806).
M.P. for Clonmines ; Teller of the Exchequer 1777-1793 ; Joint
Paymaster-General in Ireland 1789-1806; created Lord Loftus in
England 1801.

THE OLIVE BRANCH IN WEXFORD 51

suggesting at the same time, that from his ' great
consequence and influence, his representation of facts
must counteract and outweigh the misrepresentations of
others.' He also showed me the oaths he usually
administered on these occasions, and which he stated
himself to have improved from time to time by several
alterations : he produced one, in particular, which he
conceived to be wrought up to the highest perfection
of loyalty. Although I agreed with his lordship so far
as really to think the county was then in a state of
perfect peace and tranquillity, (and therefore thought
this overweening parade unnecessary) yet I never
believed him, notwithstanding all his lordship's strong
professions to that effect, a sincere friend to catholics :
I was rather strongly of opinion, that he affected a
shew of concern for their interests, at this critical
period, in mere opposition to the noble lord his com-
petitor for influence.

" I therefore took the most civil means in my power
of declining the interference to which his lordship
would have directed my exertions. Lord Mount Norris,
however, was not singular in courting catholic popu-
larity at that time, for all the newspapers of the day
teemed with addresses from the catholics throughout
the island, published, not at the desire or at the ex-
pence of the subscribers, but by the political man-
oeuvrers who took the trouble of procuring them, to
answer their private purposes, by playing them off
against the schemes of other opponents." J

In the Authentic Detail of the Extravagant and In-

1 Hay, pp. 52-53-

52 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

consistent Conduct of Sir Richard Musgrave, Baronet;
with a full Refutation of his Slander against " Edward
Hay," which is printed as an appendix to the latter's
History of the Insurrection, the author gives Lord Mount
Norris credit for having been " remarkably active in
suppressing the rebellion [he] possessed a greater
landed property than any other person in the county
of Wexford, is a governor of that county, and a privy-
counsellor of Ireland." * If historians had a special
gift which enabled them to peer into the secret motives
of a man's heart we should be able to refute or cor-
roborate the above statements, but there is certainly
nothing in the Mount Norris Correspondence which
leads us to believe that the writer of the letters was
a man whose only concern was for the safety of his
own personal property. We presume that patriotism,
like charity, begins at home, but true patriotism, un-
like false charity, does not stay there. The documents
are singularly clear of references to any damage the
Earl may have suffered, although he was particularly
intimate with Lieutenant Smyth, to whom most of
them are addressed. We are by no means satisfied
with Hay's cynical opinion that Lord Mount Norris
" affected a shew of concern " in the interests of the
Catholics. A martinet if you will, but intensely loyal
by nature, the Earl was sufficiently a statesman to
make pacific overtures before resorting to less humane
measures. That many of the Catholics saw fit to dis-
semble after they had sworn allegiance at his instiga-
tion is a crime which cannot be laid at the door of the

1 p- is-

THE OLIVE BRANCH IN WEXFORD 53

man who administered the oath. There is no gain-
saying the fact that the nobleman was himself de-
ceived, and unwittingly misled others, as to the loyalty
or peaceable intentions of the Romanists of Wexford.
This is fully borne out by Gordon, whom Lecky de-
scribes as " the most truthful and temperate of the
loyalist historians." 1 The same authority even sug-
gests that Lord Mount Norris's satisfactory reports
had not a little to do with the defenceless condition of
the county when the rebellion broke out. 2

On the other hand, it is perfectly evident that he
was no milksop. In a curious little volume entitled
The Principles of Peace, Exemplified in the Conduct of
the Society of Friends in Ireland, during the Rebellion
of the Year 1798? the author, Dr. Thomas Hancock, 4
relates an occurrence which can only refer to his
lordship :

" A party of militia," he writes, " being stationed

at Ferns, the Earl of M , who commanded, came

to this Friend, and desired he would give up part of
his house, which was then used as a store, for a guard-
house for the soldiers. The requisition being sudden,
the Friend was put to a stand what he should answer ;
and, although he might have refused it on the ground
of its being occupied as a store, yet, knowing that this
inconvenience could be obviated, he was not easy to
cloak the real cause of objection with any disguise or

1 Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 353.

2 Gordon, p. 87.

3 Thomas Hancock (1783-1849), M.D. of Edinburgh.

* Second ed., London, William Phillips, 1826. The first edition
was published in the previous year.

54 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

subterfuge. Considering, therefore, that this was a
fit opportunity to lift up the standard of Peace and
to bear his testimony against War, he honestly told
the commander ' that the apartment he requested
was occupied as a store-room, but besides, that the
purposes for which it was wanted, were such as he
could not unite with, having a conscientious scruple
against War, and every thing connected with it."

Upon this, the Earl of M grew very angry, and

desired the soldiers who were with him to afford the
Friend no protection, in case any disturbance should
arise. To this observation, the latter replied, that
' he hoped he should not trust to, or apply for, military
protection.' The commander went away greatly dis-
pleased, and seemed to mark out this Friend as a dis-
affected person ; indeed, he did not know how soon
a prison might be his lot ; especially as one of the
militia-men, who was quartered at his house for many
weeks, being entertained at free cost, propagated
many false reports of him, with respect to political
matters ; so that his situation became increasingly
perilous." J

It is interesting to know that the Quaker in question
was not visited by the dire pains and penalties he
contemplated.

An address signed by a number of priests and their
parishioners, dated 26th November, 1797, appealed to
the Earl " as our neighbour, as a magistrate, and as a

1 The Principles of Peace, Exemplified in the Conduct of the
Society of Friends in Ireland, during the Rebellion of the Year
PP- 56-57. Second ed., London, William Phillips, 1826.

THE OLIVE BRANCH IN WEXFORD 55

friend to humanity, to receive our oaths of allegiance,
and to assure his Excellency, the Earl of Camden, that
we are as firmly attached to the constitution, as any
other members of the community, whatever our ene-
mies may insinuate to the contrary." The recipient
was also asked to " accept of our tribute of gratitude "
for his opposition at the meeting held a few days before,
and to convey " our acknowledgments to the seven
other magistrates, who so liberally stepped forward,
to justify us from an imputation which we reprobate
as unprovoked and unmerited."

In all good faith, Lord Mount Norris and his col-
leagues administered the oath to Fathers Nicholas
Redmond, Nicholas Synnott, Francis Kavenagh, John
Murphy, Michael Lacy, David Cullen, Michael Murphy,
John Redmond, Nicholas Stafford, and Edmond
Redmond. 1 We shall see how some of these priests
kept their vow as the narrative proceeds. Mus-
grave prints a copy of the oath used on this oc-
casion. It runs as follows :

" I DO sincerely promise and swear, upon the Holy
Evangelists, that I will be faithful and bear true
allegiance to his majesty King George the third, and
to the succession of his illustrious family to the throne.
That I will, to the utmost of my power, support the
constitution as by law established. That I will use
every possible exertion to prevent and suppress all
tumult, riot, or secret conspiracy. That I am not an
United Irishman, and that I never will take the oaths
of the United men. That I will give up all kinds of

1 Musgrave, Appendix No. XVII., pp. 79-80.

56 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

firearms, or offensive or defensive weapons, in my
possession ; and that I will inform against any man
keeping arms without being registered. All the above
I most solemnly swear, in the presence of the Almighty,
and as I hope to be saved, through the merits and
mediation of my blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, without any equivocation or mental reserva-
tion whatsoever. So help me God." 1

Taylor makes the following statement : " The
parish of Boulavogue refused at first to comply, as the
oath was so strict ; but Lord Mount Norris being dis-
pleased with their refusal, made use of some expres-
sions, signifying, that if they would not be persuaded,
and take the oath, he would have the country so strongly
defended, by quartering military in it, that they
should then demean themselves as peaceable subjects
through fear, if they would not now do it for love.
This alarmed them, and they also conformed with the
other parishes." 2 This would certainly seem like a
threat did we not know that Father John Murphy 3

1 Musgrave, Appendix No. XVII., p. 80.

2 Taylor, pp. 18-19.

3 The Rev. John Murphy, coadjutor-priest of Boulavogue,
was the son of Thomas Murphy, a farmer at Tincurry, a parish
of Ferns. He was educated at a hedge-school kept by a man named
Gun, and afterwards studied in Seville University, where it is
supposed he took his degree of Doctor of Divinity. Murphy re-
turned to Ireland in 1785. " Father John was rather under than
over the ordinary stature of his countrymen," Kavanagh (p. 97)
tells us, " but broad-chested and strong-limbed, of remarkable
activity as well as strength. His complexion was florid, his features
rather handsome, but their beauty lay more in the expression than
in the shape. His white forehead rose over bright blue eyes, which,
though they usually beamed with a cheerful smile, could at times
flash forth a glance that indicated the fiery and intrepid soul which

THE OLIVE BRANCH IN WEXFORD 57

and his flock not only took the oath of allegiance, but
on the Qth April, 1798, on behalf of himself and 757
inhabitants, signed an address to the Viceroy, which
was duly presented by the Earl and Sir Thomas
Esmond, " thus publickly to declare our unalterable
attachment to his sacred Majesty King George the
third ; and we do hereby declare, and in the most
solemn manner pledge ourselves, to support with our
lives, fortunes and influence, his Majesty's happy
government established amongst us, determined as
we are to exert ourselves for the suppression of re-
bellion and sedition." Protestants were assured " of
our sincere affection for them, and our absolute deter-
mination to co-operate with them in every means in
our power, for the support of this happy constitution,
the suppression of rebellion, the welfare of his Majesty's
government, and in love and loyalty to his sacred
person." 1

According to Musgrave, the same address was also
adopted by Father Michael Murphy of Ballycanew, 2

in a just cause defies danger, and boldly confronts death itself.
To personal advantages he united a most determined spirit, and
a power, invaluable in a leader, of inspiring confidence into his
followers." Father John must not be confused with a priest of
the same name who acted as his aide-de-camp and was killed in
the action at Kilcomney Hill (see Maxwell, p. 185).

1 Musgrave, Appendix No. XVII., p. 81.

2 Father Michael Murphy, curate of Ballycanew. He was
born at Killnew, near Kilmuckridge, and was educated at a hedge-
school on Oulart Hill. He displayed conspicuous ability, and was
ordained in 1785 in the diocese of Ferns. Murphy afterwards
entered the Irish College at Bordeaux, then under Abbe Glynn.
Killed at the battle of Arklow, and interred in Castle Ellis church-
yard.

58 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

and all the priests who had signed the letter of 26th
November, 1797, with the exception of Fathers John
Redmond and David Cullen. 1 Taylor, however, gives
a different version of the declaration of loyalty made
by Father Michael Murphy and the inhabitants of
the parish of Ballycanew, which differs more in form
than in substance from that noted above. It is dated
the ist April, 1798 : 2

" May it please your Excellency,

" WE, the Roman Catholic inhabitants of the
parish of Ballycanow, in the county of Wexford, this
day assembled at the chapel of Ballycanow, holding in
abhorrence the barbarous outrages lately committed,
and seditious conspiracies now existing in this kingdom,
by traitors and rebels, styling themselves United
Irishmen, think it incumbent on us, thus publicly
to avow and declare, our unalterable attachment and
loyalty to our most revered and beloved Sovereign,
King George the Third, and our determined resolution
to support and maintain his rights and our happy
Constitution. And we do further pledge ourselves
to co-operate with our Protestant brethren of this
kingdom, in opposing to the utmost of our power any
foreign or domestic enemy, who may dare to invade
his Majesty's dominions, or disturb the peace and
tranquillity of this country.

" Resolved, that the above declaration be signed
by our pastor, the Rev. Michael Murphy, and a few of
the principal parishioners ; and that the same be sent

1 See ante, p. 55.
z Taylor, pp. 21-22.

THE OLIVE BRANCH IN WEXFORD 59

to the Right Hon. Earl Mount Norris, with a request
that his Lordship will transmit it to his Excellency the
Lord Lieutenant.

" REV. MICHAEL MURPHY,

" Coadjutor Priest."

[Here follow fourteen signatures.]

Had such f ulsomeness been less common in addresses
intended for official eyes in this century of laudatory
utterances it is probable that suspicion would have
been aroused, for the superlative often hides a multi-
tude of sins. The Lord-Lieutenant replied through
Lord Castlereagh x in a polite note to the Earl, dated
Dublin Castle, i6th April, 1798, expressing " his entire
reliance on the loyalty and zeal manifested by the
persons who have subscribed it." Father Michael
Murphy was duly informed, and the following covering
note was also sent :

" Lord Mount Norris felt highly gratified by being
employed to convey the address of the Catholic in-
habitants of Ballycanow 2 to government, which was
a striking test of their attachment to the constitution,
and which from his perfect knowledge of their senti-

1 Robert Stewart (1769-1822), Viscount Castlereagh. Keeper
of the Privy Seal in Ireland 1797 ; Chief Secretary for Ireland
1799-1801 ; President of the Board of Control 1802-1805 ; Sec-
retary for War and Colonies 1805- January, 1806, and from
March, 1807, to September, 1809 ; Secretary for the Foreign
Department 1812-1822. From February, 1797, until April, 1799,
Lord Castlereagh acted as Secretary to the Viceroy, owing to Mr.
Pelham's illness. On the death of his father in 1821 Lord Castlereagh
succeeded him as the second Marquis of Londonderry.

2 Ballycanew.

60 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

ments, as well as from the proof given by their oath
of allegiance, he is convinced they are as anxious to
support the constitution, as any other members of the
community : should occasion require their aid, he
means to call upon them, persuaded of their anxiety
to preserve the public welfare.

" April 27th, 1798." *

The above documents go to prove the duplicity of
the men who may well be called the master-minds of
the rebellion on the side of the insurgents. The
majority of the high ecclesiastical authorities of the
Roman Catholic faith stood loyally by Government,
and entreated the priests to do all in their power to
suppress any disloyal tendencies that might manifest
themselves in their flocks. Many of the prelates saw
that a rebellion would be neither prevention nor cure
for the ills of Ireland, and the sufferings of the Church
in France augured ill should the friends of the Revolu-
tion set foot in the land of St. Patrick. Sermons were
preached, pastoral charges delivered, and meetings
convened for the purpose of dissuading would-be
disturbers of the peace. But it is easier to counsel
pacific measures than to bring them about, and no
amount of theological theorising can stem the stream
of human passion when the political volcano begins to
rumble in real earnest. To encourage sedition openly
in chapel was practically impossible, and was almost
certain to reach official ears at Dublin. Misrepresenta-
tion was rife, nevertheless, and on one occasion the

1 Taylor, p. 23.

THE OLIVE BRANCH IN WEXFORD 61

Roman Catholic Bishop of Ossory 1 was obliged in
self-defence to send the MS. copy of a sermon to Sir
Charles Asgill 2 and the mayor of the town in which
it had been read before they were convinced that it
contained no references directly or indirectly against
Government. According to the bishop, the fear of
assassination prevented many of the priests from
denouncing the propaganda of the United Irish-
men. 3 Dr. Edward Dillon, Roman Catholic Bishop of
Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora, issued a stirring address
exhorting obedience, and warning the laity of his
diocese of the wicked intentions of their potential
allies, adding that " the wrath of Heaven could scarcely
visit us with a more dreadful scourge." 4 The Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, 5 " in the present awful
and alarming period," penned a similar document
"to be distinctly read at each Mass " on the fatal
Whit-Sunday of '98. The speculations of Tom Paine
are anathematized and a sane patriotism invoked in
the following terms :

" Let no one deceive you by wretched impracticable
speculations on the rights of man and the majesty of
the people, on the dignity and independence of the
human mind, on the abstract duties of superiors, and

1 John-Lanigan (1758-1828), Irish ecclesiastical historian.

a Sir Charles Asgill (circa 1763-1823). Served in American
War and in Flanders ; Staff- Brigadier in Ireland 1797 ; Major-
General 1798 ; Commander of Dublin 1800 ; General 1814.

3 Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. I., pp. 160-162. Dated
Ballyragget, loth March, 1798.

4 Ibid., Vol. I., pp. 172-176. Dated Kilcornan, 6th April, 1798.

5 Most Rev. John Thomas Troy, D.D. (1739-1823), consecrated
Archbishop of Dublin 1784.

62 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

exaggerated abuses of authority fatal speculations,
disastrous theories ; not more subversive of social
order and happiness, than destructive of every principle
of the Christian religion. Look at the origin and
progress of these detestable doctrines. Their atheistical
authors, seeing the intimate connexion between re-
ligious and civic principles, beheld with the envious
malignity of demons the mutual support they afforded
to each other for the spiritual and temporal advantage
of man ; and, accordingly, prepared the dreadful
career of anarchy, by the propagation (too successful,
alas !) of impiety and licentiousness.

" We bitterly lament the fatal consequences of this
anti-Christian conspiracy. But surely, my brethren,
your known attachment to the principles of religion
ought to have preserved you from the destroying
influence of such complicated wickedness. Yes,
dearest Catholics, it is to the benign principles of the
Christian religion that we recal your serious attention
at this important crisis. They will shield you from
the evils which surround us. Submission to estab-
lished authority and obedience to the laws are amongst
the duties prescribed by religion ; every violation of
these duties is highly criminal. Wherefore, if any
amongst you have been unfortunately seduced into
a combination against the State, under any pretext
whatsoever, you are bound in conscience to instantly
withdraw yourselves from it, and by sincere repentance
and future loyal conduct atone for your past sinful
temerity. Without this sincere sorrow and promise
of amendment, you cannot expect absolution in the

THE OLIVE BRANCH IN WEXFORD 63

tribunal of penance, nor mercy from Government.
Neither one nor the other is extended to impenitent
sinners or offenders, without profanation or injustice.

" Resolve then, we beseech you, to deliver up your
arms of every kind, without delay or reluctance, to
those appointed to receive them. Unite with all your
loyal and peaceable fellow-subjects to put down and
crush the wicked spirit of insurrection, so disgraceful
to the character of Irishmen.

" It has already produced the most horrid effects.
Assassinations, murders, atrocities of every kind, have
been committed. Lose not a moment to manifest
your detestation of the principles and causes leading
to such consequences. The shortest delay in comply-
ing with this religious duty will be justly considered as
an indication of disloyalty ; you will be considered as
enemies to the State, and subjected to a sudden death,
under the operation of martial law, already proclaimed.
Your property, your very existence, are endangered
by a suspicious or equivocal conduct. It must be
open, candid, and decided in supporting Religion and
the Constitution. . . ." x

In the calmer days of 1799, when declarations in
favour of the Union were being made by counties and
individuals, Dr. Edward Dillon complained to his
confrere of Dublin that he was styled " an Orange
Bishop, the tool of Government, well paid for my
services, &c." because of the active part the Church
was then taking in a purely political movement. " I
am actually employed in performing a very painful

1 Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. I., pp. 209-211.

64 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

duty," he concludes, " visiting the parishes which
have contracted the greatest weight of guilt during
the late rebellion." 1

We have purposely forestalled events in order to
preserve the sequence of the religious aspects of the
strife, and we must now retrace our steps a little.
After Hoche's failure to land his substantial forces in
the winter of 1796, Holland was requisitioned as an
ally by the continental representatives of the United
Irishmen with some success, but Duncan's victory off
Camperdown on the nth October, 1797, promptly
put an end to the hopes of the disaffected Irish and
of those who sought to revive the moribund sea power
of the country which once sent a fleet to the Thames
to threaten London. Shortly afterwards the French
Directory decided to place an army at Bonaparte's
disposal for the invasion of England, the subjugation
of which would have snapped the slender ties, now
almost strained to breaking point, between Ireland
and the Motherland. After weighing the matter
thoroughly and visiting the ports most serviceable for
the purpose of embarkation, the embryo Emperor
came to the conclusion that the time had not arrived
for such an experiment. " If instead of the expedition
to Egypt," he told Las Cases 2 at St. Helena, " I had
undertaken that against Ireland, what could England

1 Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. II., pp. 347-348. Dated
Cong, Qth July, 1799. Dr. Dillon was then Roman Catholic Arch-
bishop of Tuam.

2 Emmanuel Augustin Dieudonne Marie Joseph, Comte de Las
Cases (1766-1842). He accompanied Napoleon to St. Helena,
and wrote the celebrated Memorial de Sainte-H6l&ne.

THE OLIVE BRANCH IN WEXFORD 65

have done now ? On such chances do the destinies of
empires depend." Napoleon turned his attentions
to the dazzling East, saw visions of a vast dominion
in Asia whose wealth and power would be summed up
in his own person, and was as callous as regards the
independence of Ireland as he was of that of Poland in
the years which were to come. Lewens and Wolfe Tone
interviewed him three times on the subject of the pro-
posed attempt on the United Kingdom, but received
no satisfaction.

Blissfully unaware that the so-called Army of Eng-
land now massing on the coast of France was in-
tended for any other place than its high-sounding
name implied, the hopes of the Irish recalcitrants
ran high. The Great Nation was sending succour at
last ; it mattered little whether the troops travelled
via London or Belfast so long as they came. The
peasantry was being armed gradually, notwithstand-
ing the depredations made from time to time by the
soldiery under official instructions, bullets were cast
in out-of-the-way places, and preparations made for
the approaching coup d'etat. The yeomanry was also
getting ready for the civil war now thought to be in-
evitable in many quarters, 1 hence the following com-

1 According to Fortescue (Vol. IV., Part 2, p. 939), the Irish
Military Establishment in 1798 was made up of 39,620 regulars,
26,634 militia, and 37,539 yeomanry. Moore's figures, given in
his Diary (Vol. I., p. 270), under date 8th December, 1797, repre-
sent the troops actually in the island, in fact the Irish Garrison,
which was a very different thing, in time of war, from the Irish
Establishment. They are as follows : " Regulars and Fencible
Cavalry 5,805 ; Infantry 1,803 ; English and Scotch Fencible
Infantry 10,993; Militia 21,590; English Artillery (two com-
F

66 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

munication from Lord Mount Norris to Lieutenant
Smyth :

" March 3 d , 1798
Dear Smyth,

" I have written to our brother Officer, Bookey,
about getting the Muskets, promised to me by you
and him, put into proper order, and conveyed to
Wexford, getting a Receipt for them from the Officer
commanding there. I also wrote to him that a Lieu-
tenant Guard of Thirty must come for them, by way
of Escort, and that they should be the picked men of
our Troop. Should the Expedition suit your's better
than Bookey's Convenience, I would advise you to
come up, as it may tend to advance your object,
which I have much at Heart. I am,
" Dear Smyth,

" Your's faithfully,

" M* NORRIS.

[Address : " Dublin March the Third, 1798. Lieu*
Smyth, Camolin Cavalry, Ballyduff, Gorey. Mount
Norris."]

The news of the arrest of Arthur O'Connor 1 and
two of his comrades at Margate, where they were

panics) 200 ; Irish Artillery, about 1,400; Yeomanry, computed
35,000. Total 76,791, of which it is thought that from 18,000 to
20,000 are cavalry." The Irish Treasury provided pay for the
Establishment. Nearly all the regular infantry were abroad.

1 Arthur O'Connor was arrested on the 28th February, 1798,
in company with Father James O'Coigly (1762-1798) and an-
other individual. On his trial at Maidstone (2ist May) he was
acquitted, but rearrested and detained during the rebellion (see
ante, p. 2 in.). In her Diary Madame D'Arblay gives us a glimpse of

THE OLIVE BRANCH IN WEXFORD 67

endeavouring to obtain a vessel to take them to France,
was an unexpected blow to the rebel cause. This was
followed by the still more startling and important
announcement of the arrest of the provincial com-
mittee of Leinster at the instigation of one of its
members, who sold his principles and his friends for
gold. Mention is made of the former event in the
Mount Norris Correspondence in a letter which also
holds out the hope of a probable cessation of hos-
tilities between the Republic and Great Britain :

tt T. c " Dublin, March io th , 1798.

Dear Smyth,

" I thank you much for having obtained,
amongst our Friends, the quantity of Musquets neces-
sary for compleating the number of Firelocks, to be
given to Government for Carbines. The moment the
Guns have been put into proper Order, I must request
a party may escort them to Wexford, where they are
to be lodged with the commanding officer, whose
Receipt for same must be taken, and sent to me. As
I should be extremely sorry to inconvenience my

the consternation at Court. She notes that the Queen's look " was
serious and full of care, and, though perfectly gracious, none of
her winning smiles brightened her countenance, and her voice
was never cheerful. I have since known that the Irish conspiracy
with France was just then discovered, and O'Connor that very
morning taken. No wonder she should have felt a shock that
pervaded her whole mind and manners ! If we all are struck with
horror at such developments of treason, danger, and guilt, what
must they prove to the royal family, at whom they are regularly
aimed ? How my heart has ached for them in that horrid business ! "
(see The Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay, Warne, 1892,
Vol. III., pp. 166-167).

68 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

brother Troopers in any particular, I will, for the
Reasons you assign, postpone troubling a Party of
them to come up to Town 'till after the assizes, which
are to commence at Wicklow (where the Judges are
allowed to stay a week) on the ig th . O'Connor's
Capture and the Imprisonment of his vile Associates
is likely to be productive of much useful Information.
Peace is still talked of, and it is probably not far off,
as the Directory begin to be jealous of Bonaparte's
Power. The Town is very quiet, and the military are
numerous and active. The frequent Assassinations
we hear of, are melancholy Proofs of the many Mis-
creants who bid Defiance to the Laws.
" Lbeg you will believe me to be,
" My Dear Sir,

" Your's faithfully,

" M* NORRIS.

[Address : " Dublin, March the Tenth, 1798. Lieu*
Smyth, Camolin Yeoman Cavalry, Ballyduff, Gorey.
Mount Norris."]

Writing in his diary under date of 26th March, 1798,
Wolfe Tone, now Adjutant-General in the Armee
d'Angleterre, is constrained to note that the arrest of
the committee " is by far the most terrible blow which
the cause of liberty in Ireland has yet sustained. I
know not whether in the whole party it would be
possible to replace the energy, talents, and integrity
of which we are deprived by this most unfortunate of
events. I have not received such a shock from all

LORD EDWARD FIT/.dKRALI )

THE OLIVE BRANCH IN WEXFORD 69

that has passed since I left Ireland." l Four days later
we find Lord Grenville, 2 Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, warning Lord Camden of the extreme urgency
of legislative interference, " the present moment and
circumstances in Ireland being certainly such as to
require (if ever) the interposition of Parliament, to
check by any constitutional exercise of its authority
the progress of a rebellion, which is almost disputing
for pre-eminence and superiority of power with the
lawful government." 3

Lord Edward FitzGerald succeeded in evading detec-
tion for some time, but eventually the authorities got
to hear of his whereabouts in Thomas Street, Dublin.
A desperate struggle ensued when Majors Sirr and
Swan, together with Captain Ryan and eight soldiers,
went to arrest the military chief of the United Irishmen
on the igth May, and blood was spilt on both sides,
Captain Ryan receiving a wound which proved mortal.
Lord Edward was conveyed to the Castle and after-
wards to Newgate jail, where he died of fever on the
4th June, 1798, the consequence of a wound received
in his right arm during the fray. 4 In Dublin the effect

1 The Autobiography of Theobald Wolfe Tone, 1763-1798, Vol. II.,
p. 296.

2 William Wyndham (1759-1834), Baron Grenville 1790 ;
Chief Secretary of Ireland 1782-1783 ; Speaker of the English
House of Commons 1789 ; Secretary of State for the Home Depart-
ment 1789-1790; Foreign Secretary 1791-1801; First Lord of
the Treasury 1806-1807.

3 Dated Cleveland Row, 3Oth March, 1798. Castlereagh
Correspondence, Vol. I., p. 163.

* The Rt. Hon. George Wyndham, M.P., late Chief Secretary for
Ireland, possesses a diamond pin, a sword-stick, and a seal engraved
in Paris, which belonged to Lord Edward FitzGerald, his great-

70 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

was salutary. In several other districts the inhabitants
laid down their arms, but the rising had already been
fixed to begin on the night of the 23rd May, and
desperate men are not easily repressed. Reports were
spread far and wide that the French were getting
ready, and that the troops would embark about the
middle of April. 1 Here were incentive and inspiration,
the silver lining of the cloud.

By a peculiar coincidence the magistrates of the
county met at Wexford but a few hours before the
rebel thunderbolt was to fall, and issued their final
warning :

" NOTICE. We, the high sheriff and magistrates
of the county of Wexford, assembled at sessions, held
at the county courthouse in Wexford, this 23rd day
of May, 1798, have received the most clear and un-
equivocal evidence, private as well as public, that the
system and plans of those deluded persons who style
themselves, and are commonly known by the name of,
United Irishmen, have been generally adopted by the
inhabitants of the several parishes in this county, who
have provided themselves with pikes and other arms
for the purpose of carrying their plans into execution.
And whereas we have received information that the
inhabitants of some parts of this county have, within
these few days past, returned to their allegiance, surren-
dering their arms, and confessing the errors of their past

grandfather. All the family papers dealing with his ancestor,
including some notes written by Mr. Wyndham's mother, have
been published by his cousin Mr. Gerald Campbell in his admirable
Life of Lord Edward FitzGerald.

1 Memoirs of Lord Edward FitzGerald. p. 289.

THE OLIVE BRANCH IN WEXFORD 71

misconduct. Now we, the high sheriff and magistrates
assembled as aforesaid, do give this public notice that
if, within the space of fourteen days from the date
hereof, the inhabitants of the other parts of this county
do not come in to some of the magistrates of this
county and surrender their arms, or other offensive
weapons, concealed or otherwise, and give such proof
of their return to their allegiance as shall appear suffi-
cient, an application will be made to Government to
send the army at free quarters into such parishes as
shall fail to comply, to enforce due obedience to this
notice.

" (Signed) Edward Percival, Sheriff, Courtown ;
John Henry Lyster, James Boyd, George Le Hunte,
Thomas Handcock, John James, John Pounden,
Hawtrey White, James White, Ebenezer Jacob,
William Hore, Edward D'Arcy, John Heatly, John
Grogan, Archibald Jacob, Edward Turner, Isaac Cor-
nock, Cornelius Grogan, 1 Francis Turner, William
Toole, Richard Newton King, Charles Vero." 2

It was too late for the olive branch ; King Revolt
had come into his own.

1 Cornelius Grogan (1738 P-I798). M.P. for Enniscorthy 1783-
1790. Commissary-General to the Wexford rebel forces and for-
merly High Sheriff of the county. His wealth was large, being
variously estimated at from 6,000 to 8,000 per annum, and was
afterwards confiscated. Grogan was over seventy years of age
when he was executed at Wexford on the 28th June, 1798. His
two brothers commanded yeomanry corps.

* A Popular History of the Insurrection of 1798- By the Rev.
Patrick F. Kavanagh (Cork : Guy, 1898, Centenary Edition),
pp. 87-88.

CHAPTER IV

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT

"There never was in any country so formidable an effort on the
part of the people." CASTLEREAGH.

WITH the operations of rebel and royalist
in the counties of Kildare, Meath, and
Carlow we have nothing to do ; but the
first attempts at warfare on the part of
the insurgents were far from encouraging. The pro-
posed attack on Dublin Castle and the release of
State prisoners in Newgate jail proved little more
than an episode ; while the rebels were beaten at
several other places, excepting only Prosperous, a
little town situated some seventeen miles from the
capital. In Wexford the rebellion assumed its most
ugly form. It is certain that the unexpected hap-
pened in this instance, for a mere handful of the
regular army and militia amounting, perhaps, to six
hundred men were quartered in the county, 1 and its
defence was practically left to the yeomanry in the
early stages of the campaign. The Rev. Patrick F.
Kavanagh, in his interesting but partisan book, prints
in the Appendix a description of the men of '98 from
the pen of " A Correspondent," who writes :

1 Gordon, p. 86.

" The Wexfordmen who composed this army aver-
aged six feet, lathy and bony, rather long oval features,
very good-looking generally, brown-haired, felt flower-
pot hats, grey frieze swallow-tailed coats, brown
mohair vests, double-breasted ; frieze or corduroy
knee breeches, blue or green garters, pepper-and-salt
stockings, shoes with a buckle on the outside and in
front of ankle, brass buttons, that are nearly out of
fashion now unless in wild districts. Some of them
had trustys, or cotha mores, made of frieze, of a pecu-
liar shape, and white ivory buttons. I saw some of
those coats ; if they were not very handsome, they
were very comfortable. Those poor men carried raw
wheat in their pockets as provisions, and it was buried
with them in Mountainstown and Raffan, and the
following season it grew out of the graves and renewed
itself for the second year. I think that this much was
never published. It is traditionary, but, I am as sure
as I live, 'tis true. . . ." 1

If there was nothing particularly picturesque in the
costumes of the insurgents, the military passion for a
distinctive uniform asserted itself, and some of them
must have looked like Red Indians in all the glamour
of war-paint. " Most persons," Hay tells us, " were
desirous to wear ornaments of some kind or other,
and accordingly decorated themselves in the most
fantastical manner with feathers, tippets, handker-
chiefs, and all the showy parts of ladies' apparel :
green was the most favourite and predominant colour,
but on failure of this, decorations of almost any other

1 Kavanagh, pp. 341-342.

74 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

colour were substituted ; and as to their flags or en-
signs, they were also generally green or of a greenish
hue, but on account of a deficiency in this respect,
they displayed banners of all colours except orange,
to which the people shewed the most unalterable dis-
like, aversion and antipathy : even blue, black, red
and yellow, were remarked among their banners.
Many damsels made an offering of their coloured petti-
coats for the public service, and to make these gifts
the more acceptable, they usually decorated them
according to their different fancies, and from the
variety thus exhibited, there appeared not two sim-
ilar banners in the whole. Several loyal ladies too,
both in town and country, displayed their taste in
richly and fancifully ornamenting ensigns, to ingratiate
themselves with the people ; but many of them, not
having time to perfect their chef d'ceuvres before the
insurrection was suppressed, have since thought it
prudent, I suppose, to destroy these and the like
specimens of elegant accomplishment, at which I had
opportunities of observing them earnestly employed,
during the short-lived period of popular triumph." l
At the battle of Arklow " each company had a
green flag or colour about two feet square, with
a yellow harp in the centre. Some, however, were
party-coloured, and equal in size to the King's
colours." 2

Kavanagh records a conversation with his grand-
father, Mr. John Prendergast, a rebel of '98, who died

i Hay, pp. 132-133-
* Musgrave, p. 441.

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 75

at Knottown, near Wexford, in 1855. l According to
this authority, the majority of the insurgents of Wex-
ford were between twenty and thirty years of age, and
their height above the average. Abnormal physical
proportion is not necessarily an advantage on the
field of battle, and a Goliath is more likely to be a
billet for a bullet than the less conspicuous David.
It is abundantly clear that there was a woeful de-
ficiency of ammunition, both of powder and ball, and
what muskets the rebels possessed were therefore of
little use to them. At close quarters the pike was
terrible in execution, but worthless before coming up
with the enemy, except for clearing purposes. ' They
were from eight to twelve feet long," says Prendergast,
" blade and all. Some of them had a hook at the side,
which was very useful in cutting the leather bridles of
the cavalry. I heard that they afterwards got steel
chains instead. From what I saw no cavalry could
stand the pike, for when the horse got a prod he
reared and the rider was either thrown out of the
saddle, or could not use his sword, so that we had
him at our mercy." 2

Gordon, also with the authority of an eye-witness,
shows that the loyalists were likewise at a disadvan-

1 So recently as January, 1909, the Clerk of the Limerick
Board of Guardians was notified of the death of Mrs. Johanna
Leonard, aged 118 years. She could recall impressions of the
rebellion of '98 and the attempted insurrection of 1820, as well as
the risings of 1848 and 1867. In October, 1908, the death was
reported of Mrs. Catherine Kierans of Newton Butler, Co.
Fermanagh, who had vivid recollections of the incidents following
the rebellion of '98.

2 Kavanagh, p. 302.

76 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

tage in some respects, due to that want of foresight
apparently inherent in British military matters. " In
the formation of the companies or corps of yeomen,"
he notes, " to appoint the far greater part of them
cavalry was an error, as the event clearly proved ;
for in the rebellion which ensued, the yeoman infantry,
supported by regular troops, fought steadily against
the foe ; while the horsemen, from the nature of the
country, uneven with hills, and every where inter-
sected with ditches, their want of proper subordina-
tion and discipline, and the facility of escape, were of
little use except for patroles or expresses, though their
horses were superior to those of the regular cavalry
in the traversing of ditches and fields. If these
troops had been habituated to dismount and engage
on foot with carbines, their service might have
been of considerable effect ; but, as the matter
was, they could hardly ever be brought to a
charge on the rebels, or to make a retreat with
regularity." l .

When asked to give his opinion as to the nature of
the force to be sent from England, Lieutenant-General
Lake answered that " from the nature of this country,
inaccessible to cavalry in many parts, owing to mor-
asses, craggy mountains, woods, and narrow passes,
(of which the rebels have already discovered sufficient
knowledge to avail themselves) it appears to me that,
although an increase of cavalry must always be ac-
ceptable, it is desirable the reinforcement intended for
this country should consist more of infantry than of

1 Gordon, p. 63.

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 77

cavalry." l " As to the cavalry," comments Miles
Byrne, " in a country like Ireland, so fenced every-
where with hedge-rows and ditches, there was nothing
to be feared." 2 " No country in the world," he says
in another place, " except La Vendee in France, offers
the same advantages for making war against cavalry
as Ireland, on account of the smallness of the fields,
and the very high fences with which they are sur-
rounded in every part. How curious it is, we had no
instance of those bold fox hunters 3 who composed
the yeomen cavalry corps (and whose horses never
refused leaping any kind of fence), making a charge
through fields to attack even twenty of our pikemen
who kept well together ; but a single isolated man
was sure to be pursued and cut down by them." 4

As already noted, the commissariat of the insur-
gents when they were campaigning was pitiable, and
the utter disregard for paper money was such that
bank-notes were used as spills for lighting pipes and
as waddings for fire-locks. 5 When the town of Wex-
ford fell into the hands of the rebels some attempt
was made to regulate the supply of food, as will be
shown in a subsequent chapter ; but in the field
business-like methods were apparently impracticable.
Cattle were driven into the camps and slaughtered

1 Lieut. -Gen. Lake to Lord Castlereagh, Dublin, ist June, 1798,
Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. I., p. 213.

2 Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 138.

3 This has special reference to Hunter Gowan, whom Byrne
detested.

4 Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 181.

5 Hay, p. 131.

78 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

wholesale, with the result that there was much waste,
and the stench arising from decomposing carcases be-
came on occasion almost unbearable.

At the outbreak of the rebellion some of the men
formed themselves into parish divisions, securing any
weapons and horses they could find ; but of definite
organisation there was very little. Many peasants
wandered about the hills until they allied themselves
with the first body of insurgents which happened to
be sighted, and after a defeat the gathering together
of the scattered units was not always successful, little
unattached bands marching from place to place, with
no apparent object in view other than giving the
loyalists as much trouble and annoyance as possible.
Statistics of the number of men engaged in the further-
ance of the rebel cause are, of course, approximate
only, and malcontents from the counties of Wicklow,
Dublin, King's, Queen's, Kildare, Carlow, Kilkenny,
and Waterford reinforced those of Wexford on the
eve of hostilities. Taylor gives the number of the
disaffected under arms as loo^oo. 1

On the 26th May fires lighted on the hills of Cor-
rigrua and Boulavogue, 2 the former by Father John
Murphy, flashed the signal for a general rising, 3 and
the pent-up fury of religious passion burst forth in all
its hideous might. Much ink and ingenuity has been
used in an endeavour to prove that Father John
Murphy did not take the field until he was practically

1 Taylor, p. 171.

2 Also spelt Boolavogue in some works.
8 Maxwell, p. 87.

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 79

forced to do so by the ferocious proceedings of some
of the yeomanry, but, as we have already noted, so
late as the gth April, 1798, he and his parishioners
declared their loyalty. 1 Harwood asserts that the
priest's " Saturday evening's preparations for Whit-
suntide mass and sermon were disturbed by the
irruption of a troop of Orange yeomanry, who burned
forthwith his chapel, his house, and some twenty
farm-houses in the place. . . . Father John Murphy
rebelled that moment, rose against these yeomen with
a strong party of his parishioners, and two officers of
the marauders were killed. It was no use preaching
' peace, peace/ after that. The Whitsuntide mass and
sermon were left to shift for themselves ; the priest
and his flock, and a crowd of other fugitives and ' dis-
affected persons ' from the country round, assembled,
and encamped for the night on Oulard [Oulart] Hill,
about ten miles north of Wexford and the Wexford
Rebellion was begun." 2 If the affidavits of two rebels
named Rossiter and Crawley, which Musgrave cites,
are to be believed, the priest's house was not set on
fire until several hours after the death of Lieutenant
Bookey, 3 whose residence, called Rockspring, situ-
ated some seven miles from Gorey, was burned by the
rebels. As will be seen by the Detail Book, the chapel
was destroyed on the following day, and after the
bodies of Lieutenant Bookey and Private John
Donovan had been found. 4

1 See ante, p. 57. 2 Harwood, p. 173.

3 Musgrave, Appendix No. XVIII., p. 85.
* See post, p. 86.

8o THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Intentional or otherwise, the outbreak speedily
assumed a religious complexion. In Wexford, writes
Castlereagh on the I2th June, 1798, " it is perfectly
a religious phrensy. The priests lead the rebels to
battle : on their march, they kneel down and pray,
and show the most desperate resolution in their
attack. . . . They put such Protestants as are re-
ported to be Orangemen to death, saving others upon
condition of their embracing the Catholic faith. It is
a Jacobinical conspiracy throughout the kingdom,
pursuing its object chiefly with Popish instruments ;
the heated bigotry of this sect being better suited to
the purpose of the republican leaders than the cold,
reasoning disaffection of the northern Presbyterians." 1
In reviewing the situation a year later, the same states-
man remarks that " The religious complexion of the
Rebellion in the South gradually separated the Pro-
testants from the treason, and precisely in the same
degree appeared to embark the Catholics in it." 2

The story from the loyalists' point of view will
now be told by the Camolin Yeomanry Detail Book
and the Mount Norris Correspondence, supplemented
as occasion arises by particulars necessary to a clear
understanding of the War in Wexford in 1798. The
original spelling and punctuation have been retained
in both instances. Entries of mere routine orders and
regimental details of no historical importance or in-

1 Lord Castlereagh to Mr. Wickham, Dublin Castle, i2th June,
1798. Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. I., p. 219.

z Lord Castlereagh to the Duke of Portland, Dublin Castle,
3rd June, 1799. Ibid., Vol. II., p. 326.

terest have been deleted ; this accounts for all missing
dates.

" CAMOLIN YEOMANRY DETAIL BOOK.

" Though the different Corps of Yeomanry of the
County of Wexford were not put on Permanent Duty
by any General Officer 'till the latter end of May 1798,
yet in defence of their lives and properties, they were
obliged to undergo constant and severe duty from the
beginning of the month. In the beginning of May an
order arrived from the Castle of Dublin, ordering a
Subaltern and 20 men of the Camolin Cavalry imme-
diately to proceed to Dublin for 60 Carabines, 60
Sabres, and ammunition for the above Corps, and on
the 7 May, the detatchment under the command of
Lieutenant Smith marched for Dublin. On their
arrival back in Camolin, the Arms, &c. were deposited
in the Guard-room there, and a party of the Troop
obliged to mount Guard on them day and night. To-
wards the latter end of May the Camolin Cavalry were
ordered by the Magistrates to do Duty in the neigh-
bourhoods of Ballycanew 1 and Camolin, and detatch-
ments from it were obliged almost every day to escort
United Men to either Wexford or Enniscorthy, to have
them put on board a Prison Ship, then moored in the
Harbour of Waterford near Duncannon Fort. 2 Yeo-

1 Also spelt Ballycannoe, Ballycanoe, Ballycanew, and Bally-
cannoo.

2 Wexford was proclaimed to be in a state of rebellion by the
magistrates of the northern baronies who met at Gorey on the 2$th
April, and orders were issued for all arms to be delivered up. Some
of the peasantry took this opportunity to withdraw from an ap-
parently untenable position, but as the number of weapons sur-

82 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

man Cavalry ordered by the Magistrates to Parole the
Country by Night.

" May 25. Camolin Cavalry ordered by the Magis-
trates to assist them in receiving Pikes from the United
Men, who came in numbers to Camolin for that pur-
pose. Lieut. Smith and 20 Men ordered to Killena to
burn the dwelling house of John Lawless, a retailer of
Pikes dined at free quarters at the house of Daniel
Dempsey, who informed the Party that he supposed
his sons had fled the Country, as he had not seen them
for some days before. Lieut. Bookey and another
party of the troop pulled down a Smith's forge in
Camolin, where Pikes had been made. All parties
repaired to Camolin in the evening, where they
mounted Guard.

" May 26. United Men coming in with their con-
cealed Arms, and taking the Oath of Allegiance ad-
ministered to them by the siting Magestrates, Sir
Frederick Flood, and Henry Brownrigg Esq. An
officer and 20 men ordered to burn the house of Miles
Leary near Killena did not burn it, as he promised
to deliver up all the Arms in his possession early the

rendered was not commensurate with the population believed to
possess them, a more stringent order was given on the 23rd May
to the effect that companies of soldiers would be marched to dis-
tricts not complying within fourteen days, and take up free quar-
ters. The horrors of martial law in 1798 may not have surpassed
those of the Inquisition, but the accounts of Hay, Byrne, and
Gordon contain the most gruesome pen-pictures of legalised savagery.
The " pitched cap," the cat-o'-nine-tails, the hangman's rope, and
the flaming torch were used with sickening effect. Many rebels
were arrested and transported. It is to be feared that this method
of teaching the people a salutary lesson only made them more
determined to cast off the yoke which galled them.

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 83

next morning dined at free quarters at the house of
Bryan Lacy's Killena-mill, where the detatchment
[was joined] by a Corporal and four men, who had
been sent towards Courtown to bring in the body of
Catharine Murphy, charged with having administered
the United Oath to several Men. On the party's
march to Camolin, they were met by a messenger
from Lieut. Bookey, mentioning that the long ex-
pected Rebellion had broke out in several parts of
the country, and that an entire family of Protestants
had been murdered by the Insurgents near Scara-
walsh. Party hastened to Camolin (leaving the
Prisoner in charge with some Loyalists who lodge
her safe in Camolin), where they receive an order from
Isaac Cornock, Esq., a Magistrate, to repair to Ferns,
and there join an Officers' guard of the North Cork
Regiment of Militia. On arrival in Ferns, Lieut. Smith
and a party x was ordered towards Scarawalsh, where
the Murders were committed, to see if this information
was true, and Lieut. Bookey with another Party 2
rode towards the Harrow, where he met a large party
of the Insurgents armed with Pikes and some Arms.
The Lieut, rode before the Party, and ordered the
Rebels to surrender, and deliver up their Arms, on
which they discharged a volley at the Party, accom-
panied with a shower of stones, some of which brought
Lieut. Bookey from his horse, as also John Donovan,
a private in the Corps. The party after firing a few

1 Consisting of eighteen or twenty yeomanry cavalry (see Lecky,
Vol. IV., p. 355).

2 Taylor (p. 26) gives the number as seventeen or eighteen.

84 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

shots, finding themselves overpowered by the Rebels,
retreated to Ferns, where they remained 'till day
break, melancholy spectators of the devastation com-
mitted by the Rebels. The information of the Murders
at Scarawalsh found to be true."

The way in which Father John entrapped Thomas
Bookey, first lieutenant of the Camolin cavalry, shows
that he had a very good idea of the elements of strategy.
A few men were detached from the little band and left
to blockade the road with two cars as soon as the last
yeoman had passed, thus cutting off all hopes of re-
treat. Some distance further a rough barricade was
made which effectually stopped the unsuspecting
horsemen, who were piked before they could defend
themselves. After this sanguinary fray, Camolin Park
was looted to good effect, for the Earl of Mount Norris
was the custodian of the pikes which had been pre-
viously surrendered, and a number of carbines ready
for distribution amongst his own corps were also
stacked. These weapons were of the greatest value
to the insurgents, who looked upon them as a God-
send. Pat Murray, of Crane, secured the colours of
a Volunteer corps of 1782 which were in the Earl's
possession, and marched off with them in triumph.
The banner was subsequently used by the Monaseed
corps of rebels. The men next surrounded the fallen
lieutenant's house of Rockspring, which was bril-
liantly defended by two servants. As a last resource
the rebels set fire to the building, but the inmates
managed to effect their escape. Byrne makes no

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 85

mention of this in his Memoirs, although he makes
much of the raid on Camolin Park. 1 " From this
commencement of hostility," writes Gordon, " the
commotion spread rapidly on all sides ; and the col-
lection of rebel parties was greatly promoted by the
reports disseminated of numbers of people shot in the
roads, at work in the fields, and even in their houses,
unarmed and unoffending, by straggling parties of
yeomen. Influenced by these reports, which were not
without some foundation, great numbers took refuge
with their friends in arms. . . ." 2 One of the rebels,
disguised as a groom, and carrying letters fictitiously
addressed to Lord Mount Norris, took the news to
Castlebridge, and from thence it soon spread, to the
great advantage of the Irish cause. 3

" May 27. This morning at the dawn, the Country
presented a frightful appearance houses in flames on
every side, and loyal families flying into Ferns for
protection. Camolin Cavalry march from Ferns to-
wards the Harrow, where they found the bodies of
Lieut. Bookey and John Donovan mangled in a bar-
barous manner by Rebel Pikes joined by the Ennis-
corthy 4 and Healthfield Yeoman Cavalry, 5 they took
a circuit thro' the country, killed a great number of

1 See Vol. I., p. 34.

2 Gordon, p. 89.

3 Kavanagh, p. 101.

4 Under Captain Richards.

6 Under Captain John Grogan. Taylor also mentions a third
corps, the Scarawalsh infantry, commanded by Captain Cornock
(Taylor, p. 30).

86 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

the Insurgents, 1 who seemed as if collecting in a body,
and burnt upwards of 170 houses belonging to Rebels
whose inhabitants had fled, and also the Popish
Chapel of Boulavogue, whose Priest, John Murphy,
head[ed] the Rebels the night before at the Harrow.
At 3 o'clock the Camolin Cavalry arrived at Camolin,
where they found the Carabines and Sabres had been
incautiously distributed to improper Persons. The
troop finding Camolin not tenable, 2 marched for Gorey,
followed by all its loyal inhabitants. This evening a
reinforcement from Arklow arrived in Gorey, consist-
ing of one Troop of Yeoman Cavalry and 30 Antrim
Militia, under the command of Lieut. Elliott 3 of the
Antrim [Militia]. News arrived that a large detatch-
ment of the North Cork Militia marched out of Wex-
ford to Oulart, met the Insurgents in force on a hill
near Oulart, 4 an action commenced, in which [the]

1 Musgrave says about 150. The rebels mentioned were evi-
dently those who had gathered on Killthomas Hill, about nine
miles to the west of Gorey, led by Father Michael Murphy. Ka-
vanagh (p. 104) asserts that about 300 of them were killed, but this
seems to be an exaggeration.

2 Guided by Father Francis Kavanagh, the Roman Catholic
inhabitants of Camolin, who had managed to conceal a large num-
ber of weapons, although they had surrendered several hundred
pikes before the actual breaking out of the rebellion, proceeded on
the 27th May to show their sympathy with the general movement
of their fellow compatriots by sacking the town. Captain White
of the Ballakeen cavalry had assembled his corps at Gorey the
previous day, which, in addition to his own men, was defended by
a body of yeoman cavalry, infantry, and supplementary men
embodied by the Earl of Courtown at his own expense in October,
1796 (see Gordon, p. 104, and Musgrave, pp. 335-6).

3 Usually spelt Elliot.

* About eight miles to the north of Wexford a.nd ten to the
south of Gorey.

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 87

military was almost entirely cut off. The Military
stood to their Arms all night.

" May 28. Early this morning information was re-
ceived by some fugitive Loyalists that the Insurgents
had totally defeated the detatchment of North Cork
Militia at Oulart, and possessed themselves of all their
arms and ammunition that they had murdered the
Rev. Robert Burrowes, his Son, and Edward D'Arcy,
Esq., and burned their houses, and that they had
marched in full strength to attack Wexford. A meet-
ing of the different Officers took place, when it was
resolved to abandon the town, and fall back to Arklow,
previous to which some Prisoners who were in the
Guard-room, were taken out and shot. Between Cool-
greny and Arklow a small force from the latter place
was met coming to the relief of Gorey, however, they
did not think it prudent to advance on to Gorey, but
the whole proceeded to Arklow. All the fugitive
Loyalists who had arms were obliged, on entering
Arklow, to surrender them at the Barrack gate by
order of the Commanding Officer. 1 Camolin Cavalry
ordered to proceed to the house of Thomas Murray
near Arklow, to remain there 'till morning at free
quarters, and to keep up a guard and patrole to
march to Arklow early the next morning."

The murder of Dr. Burrowes, the rector of Kilmuck-
ridge, and the Loyalist defeat at Oulart, warrant
more detailed notice. If no further proof were forth-
coming of the religious nature of the war in Wexford,

1 Captain Rowan.

88 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

this fact alone would warrant one to assume that such
was the case. It seems also to have been a more or
less personal matter, for Kilmuckridge is close to the
scene of Father John's ministerial labours, although
it is doubtful whether the Protestant ever poached on
the Catholic preserves. Froude certainly describes the
rector as " a harmless gentleman." 1

On being informed that his death had been planned,
Dr. Burrowes promptly gathered together his family
and as many parishioners as his house at Kyle would
hold, and after having barricaded it, the little band
prepared to sell their lives as dearly as possible. The
mob came early on the morning of Sunday, the 27th
May, and finding that the rector and his colleagues
offered a stubborn resistance, the insurgents set fire
to the place. On the priest promising that all they
required was surrender, and that no one would be
harmed, the defenders left the house and Dr.
Burrowes and seven others were butchered, 2 the
rector's son receiving a severe wound from which he
ultimately died. 3

By no means satisfied by this accomplishment,
Father John and his horde proceeded to Ferns, the
seat of Dr. Cleaver, 4 the Protestant bishop. The
inhabitants of the town had fled to Enniscorthy,
escorted by militia and yeomanry under Captain
Cornock. Finding that the various members of the

1 Vol. III., p. 435.

2 Taylor (p. 29) says that five only were murdered.

3 Musgrave, pp. 330-32.

4 Euseby Cleaver (1746-1819), Bishop of Cork and of Ferns
1789 ; Archbishop of Dublin 1809.

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 89

episcopal family had also effected their escape the
mob, after having thoroughly regaled themselves at
the prelate's expense, entered the library and tore the
contents to shreds, preserving the vellum bindings
for the utilitarian purposes of saddlery. They then
set fire to the palace, which speedily became a mound
of smoking ruins. Still not satisfied, many of the
smaller houses were ransacked or destroyed.

These preliminary successes, if they may be so
termed, encouraged Father Michael Murphy, curate
of the adjoining hamlet of Ballycanew, to join forces
with his namesake, and as events proved, the alliance
was particularly propitious. These brethren of the
Church militant speedily showed that whatever
triumphs they may have had in spiritual warfare were
as nothing compared to their achievements against
the Protestant hosts of Satan in combat with flesh
and blood. Oulart now being the next stage of their
journey to Enniscorthy and the Mecca of Wexford,
the four or five thousand insurgents made their way
there, and divided into two bands, one of them taking
up a favourable position on Oulart Hill, and the other
on Killthomas Hill. On the 27th May the latter camp
was attacked by the Carnew garrison of between 200
and 300 men, who successfully wreaked their vengeance
for the death of Lieutenant Bookey, but on the same
day the insurgents at Oulart scored a decided victory,
although the number of loyalists engaged was numeri-
cally weak. Colonel Foote had marched from Wexford
with no men of the North Cork Militia under his
command, and coming up with Colonel Le Hunte and a

go THE WAR IN WEXFORD

troop of the Shilmalier yeomanry cavalry, determined to
attack. Advantage was with the militia at the onset,
and the rebels, of whom there were several thousands,
beat a hasty retreat. As the soldiers were nearing the
summit of the hill, Father John saw his opportunity.
He harangued his flock to good purpose, and such a
bold stand was made that but five of the North Corks
escaped with their lives, including the lieutenant-
colonel and a sergeant. The Shilmalier cavalry effected
their retreat to Wexford, shooting at all and sundry
as they went.

Foote's account of the affair clearly shows that had
there been a little less zeal and more caution, the
honours of the day would have remained with the
loyalists. In a letter to a friend the Lieutenant-
Colonel details what our twentieth century newspapers
would doubtless call a " regrettable incident " : 1

" I marched to a hill called Oulart, where between
four and five thousand rebels were posted. From
their great superiority of numbers, it was not my
intention to have attacked them, unless some un-
foreseen favourable circumstances would warrant that
measure ; however, my officers were of a contrary
opinion. I met here part of a yeoman cavalry corps,
about sixteen ; the remainder, with their serjeant,
having that morning joined the rebels. I halted with
this corps, while I sent a note by their trumpeter to
Wexford, with orders for two officers and forty men
to march thence to us to support our detachment ;
apprehending that the rebels, from their numbers,

1 Musgrave, pp. 341-342.

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 91

might intercept our retreat. Afterwards, when I
joined the party, I found that they were moved for-
ward by the officer next in command j 1 and the
soldiers cried out, that they would beat the rebels
out of the field. By this movement we were im-
mediately engaged with the rebels, who fired from
behind the hedges, without showing any regular front.
We beat their advanced party from one hedge to
another, which they had successively occupied, and
fired from on us, killing great numbers of them, till
they retreated in much disorder to the main body,
which consisted mostly of pikemen. I considered this
a favourable opportunity of forming the detachment,
for the purpose of retreating, or of receiving the enemy
in a good position ; and I used every exertion to effect
it ; but unfortunately the too great ardour of the men
and officers could not be restrained. They rushed
forward, were surrounded, and overpowered by num-
bers. They displayed great valour and intrepidity,
and killed a great number of the rebels. 2 Of this
detachment, none have as yet returned to Wexford,
but myself, a serjeant, and three privates. I received a
wound from a pike in my breast, a slight one in my
arm, and several bruises and contusions."

1 Major Lombard.

2 Hay, the Romanist historian, gives the number of rebels
killed as five, and two wounded (p. 84). Musgrave says there
were seven killed (p. 342 n.). Gordon states that when the military
charged only three insurgents were killed and six wounded (p. 92),
which agrees with Miles Byrne (Vol. I., p. 37). Musgrave makes
a curious error by referring to " Whitsunday, the day after this
defeat " (p. 342).

92 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Gordon 1 asserts that Father John had received
intelligence of the near approach of Captain Hawtrey
White with a band of cavalry from Gorey, hence the
priest's appeal for a last desperate resistance. That
officer had certainly set out in the hope of meeting
the rebels, but he was totally unaware of Foote's
movements, and when he had ascertained that the
contesting force was very considerable the dis-
parity in numbers caused him to order a retreat to
Gorey, his own scanty resources being some eighty
men.

After spending the night on Carrigrew Hill, an
advance was made by Father John's army to Camolin,
which, it will be remembered, had been abandoned
the day before by the King's forces, and to Ferns,
which was also desolate. After resting for a short
time on the hill of Balliorrell, where they were joined
by Father Michael Murphy and the remnants of his
band, they proceeded to Enniscorthy, a town of 4000
inhabitants and doing a considerable amount of
business.

Gordon, who was an eye-witness, gives a graphic
account of the evacuation of Gorey on the 28th May :
" As the order to retreat was very sudden," he writes,
" on account of the imagined rapid approach of a
resistless and ferocious enemy, a melancholy scene
of trepidation, confusion, and fright was the conse-
quence ; the affrighted crowd of people running in
all directions for their horses, harnessing their cars
and placing their families on them with precipitation,

1 pp- 91-2.

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 93

and escaping speedily as possible from the town. The
road was soon filled to a great extent with a train of
cars loaded with women and children, accompanied
by a multitude on foot, many of whom were women
with infants on their backs. The weather being hot
and dry, the cloud of dust raised by the fugitive
multitude, of whom I with my family was a part,
rendered respiration difficult. The reception which
we found at Arklow was not well suited to our calami-
tous condition. Almost fainting with hunger, thirst,
fatigue, and want of sleep, we were denied admittance
into the town, by orders of the commanding officer of
the garrison, Captain Rowan of the Antrim regiment ;
and great part of the poorer fugitives retiring, took
refuge that day and night under the neighbouring
hedges ; but the better sort, after a little delay, were
admitted, on condition of quitting the town in half
an hour. The loyalists, on permission to enter Arklow,
were obliged to deliver their arms at the gate of the
barrack to the guard, who promised to restore them ;
but, instead of this, they were afterwards formed into
a pile in the yard of the barrack and burned. A man
named Taylor, clerk of Camolin church, who made
some scruple to surrender his arms, was shot by the
guard. After our admission our situation was not so
comfortable as we might have expected, for no re-
freshment could be procured by money for men or
horses, and the hearts of the inhabitants in general
seemed quite hardened against us. But, for my own
part, I found very humane treatment." 1

1 Gordon, pp. 105-106.

94 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

" May 29. Troop returned to Arklow early this
morning, when they received orders to be in readiness
to be inspected by Major Hardy, Commander of the
County of Wicklow. At one Major Hardy arrived,
inspected all the Yeomanry from Gorey, and informed
them, as they had quit their districts, they were now
to be considered as Soldiers, and to act as such.
Yeomanry ordered on Permanent Duty. Received
some ammunition, and the Yeomanry from Gorey to-
gether with 30 Antrim and 30 North Cork, ordered
back to Gorey, to be under the Command of Lieut.
Elliott. At 5 o'clock the Army marched, and arrived
in Gorey about 10, which they found in the same state
as they left it. 1

" May 30. Information was this morning received,
that the Insurgents, in number upwards of 10,000,
had attacked the town of Enniscorthy, and after a
conflict of three hours, the King's forces were obliged
to evacuate the town and fly to Wexford. This action
took place on the 28 May Instant. In consequence of
which Reconnoitreing parties were sent out, with
orders to act with caution. Camolin Cavalry marched
to Camolin Park, 2 and there heard that a large
body of the Insurgents had been there that morn-
ing, and that they had plundered the house of
various articles of value among whom (sic) was
Father John Redmond. Brought the Standard

1 Lecky, (Vol. IV., p. 374) says that the militia and yeomanry
did not return to Gorey until the 3ist, which, according to the
above, is incorrect.

2 The seat of the Earl of Mount Norris.

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 95

presented by Lady Mount-Norris to the Camolin
Cavalry away." 1

As the " King's forces " at Enniscorthy numbered
some 300 yeomanry and militia only, it is not astonish-
ing that they were ultimately forced to surrender,
although they made a most determined stand and
behaved with great gallantry. The Duffry gate, ably
defended by the yeoman infantry, was first attacked,
and the rebels beaten back again and again before
the defenders were obliged to withdraw into the town,
which had been set on fire by those of the enemy who
had entered at less well-protected spots. For a time
the fate of Enniscorthy trembled in the balance, and
the rebels were obliged to evacuate it. This apparent
advantage proved of little worth to the loyalists, who
had paid for their success so dearly that they were
forced to make a hurried exit and push with all speed
towards Wexford. There being no opposition, the
insurgents entered the town, taking good care to
form a camp on Vinegar Hill, a point of considerable
strategic value, which henceforth became a per-
manent centre until the 20th June, when it was
broken up. " The town," says Musgrave, " the
morning after the rebels got possession of it, presented
a dreadful scene of carnage and conflagration ; many
bodies were lying dead in the streets, and others
groaning in the agonies of death ; some parts of the
place were entirely consumed, and in others the flames

1 Musgrave states that a numerous body of rebels attacked
Gorey on the soth, but were repulsed (p. 344).

96 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

continued to rage with inextinguishable fury ; no
less than 478 dwelling houses and cabins were burned
in the town and its suburbs [Templeshannon and
Drumgoold], besides a great number of stores, malt-
houses, and out-offices." 1 The writer of the Detail
Book seems to have exaggerated the number of
insurgents, which Lecky puts at 6,000 or 7,000 men. 2
Authorities also differ as to the losses incurred on both
sides, but the same historian roughly estimates them
at " three officers and rather more than eighty soldiers,"
and from " one hundred to five hundred " insurgents. 3
Father John Murphy, bent on making his triumphal
entry into Wexford with the least possible delay, did
not wait to indulge in the orgies which were now to
form so conspicuous a part of the daily round at
Vinegar Hill. Leaving 10,000 men there, and taking
16,000 rebels with him, 4 he marched on the 2gth to
the Three Rocks, at the foot of Mt. Forth, and about
three miles from his destination. Before starting he

1 Musgrave, p. 357.

2 Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 359.

3 Ibid., p. 360. Byrne says that when Father John crossed
the Slaney he was " joined by crowds," including Ned Fennell,
John Doyle of Ballyellis, Nick Murphy of Monaseed, Michael
Redmond and Murt Murnagh, from Little Limerick, and Thomas
Synnott, of Kilbride, all of whom were valuable adjuncts to the
cause. He states that the casualties were nearly equal on both
sides, and that at the Duffry gate more than 100 of the King's
troops were killed, with several officers (see Miles Byrne, Vol. I.,
pp. 38 and 46).

4 "The insurgents were increasing with marvellous rapidity,
and their numbers soon amounted to tens of thousands." " The
number of armed men who could be counted upon was practically
unlimited " (see Froude, Vol. III., pp. 444 and 454).

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 97

received Edward Fitzgerald, of Newpark, 1 and John
Colclough, of Bally teigue, 2 both of whom had been
released from Wexford jail by Captain Boyd of the
Wexford Cavalry on the understanding that they should
use their persuasive powers with the insurgents and
endeavour to get them to disband without further
bloodshed. As the officer had no power to do so, he
could not promise any terms ensuring their acquittal
from the consequences of rebellion, and Father John,
proud of his success as a chieftain and flushed with
victory, not unnaturally rejected the overtures. Fitz-
gerald, who was styled " Lord " by the rebels, joined
the republican army, but Colclough was faithful to
the promise they had both made, and returned.
Father John's next feat of arms made him still more
optimistic. It took place on the 3Oth May at the
Three Rocks. He surprised and cut to pieces two
companies of the Meath regiment, sent by Major-
General Fawcett 3 as an advance guard from Dun-
cannon Fort for the relief of Wexford, and drove off
the contingent under Colonel Maxwell, which had
marched from that town to effect a junction with the

1 After leaving Trinity College, Dublin, Fitzgerald had been
called to the Irish Bar. He was a man of considerable property,
and inherited the estate of Newpark, Co. Wexford, from his father.
He surrendered on the i2th July, 1798, and was obliged to leave
Ireland. Fitzgerald died at Hamburg in 1807.

2 John Henry Colclough, a Catholic who joined the rebels.
When the insurgents fled from Wexford on the 2ist June, he and
B. B. Harvey escaped to the Saltee Islands, where they were dis-
covered on the 24th inst. Colclough was executed on the 28th June,
1798.

3 Sir William Fawcett (1728-1804). His name is frequently
given as Faucitt or Faucett.

98 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

former. On the following day Father John entered
the gates of the terror-stricken town, 1 for Maxwell,
having found it untenable, had fallen back on Dun-
cannon Fort. During the tramp of twenty-three miles
some of the troops deserted to the enemy, while others
got beyond control and wreaked their vengeance on
innocent peasantry. 2

A letter written at this time to Mr. Addington 3 by
Dr. Butson, Dean of Waterford, who had enlisted
and accoutred a corps of mechanics, " chiefly Metho-
dists," to help in the defence of the port, amplifies
these particulars : 4

" Waterford, May 3ist.

" Nothing can exceed the melancholy aspect of this
place. The insurgents in our neighbouring county of
Wexford are so numerous as to have taken possession
of and destroyed the town of Enniscorthy not a
house remaining ; men, women, and children murdered
and burnt, particularly the clergy. A gentleman has
informed me that he saw the bodies of Mr. Hayden, a
clergyman past eighty years of age, and of Mr. Nun,

1 It is curious that such conscientious historians as Lecky and
Froude should disagree as to the actual date on which the rebels
entered Wexford. The former gives the 3Oth May (Vol. IV., p. 366),
which agrees with Byrne (Vol. I., p. 59), while the latter says the
3ist (Vol. III., p. 452).

2 Gordon, p. 102.

3 Henry Addington (1757-1844), Speaker of the House of
Commons 1789 ; Prime Minister 1801-1803 ; President of the
Council 1805 ; created Viscount Sidmouth 1805 ; Secretary of
State for the Home Department 1812.

4 The Life and Correspondence of the Right Honble Henry Adding-
ton, first Viscount Sidmouth. By the Honble George Pellew, D.D.,
Dean of Norwich (Murray : 1847). Vol. I., pp. 207-208.

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 99

a very respectable rector, lying unburied in the street,
the day after their entrance, with 400 more dead
bodies. Some detachments sent from hence have been
defeated : from one under the command of General
Faucett, 1 they took two fieldpieces. The rebels
amount to 15 or 16,000 ; march in a disciplined
manner, have a squadron of cavalry, and fire their
cannon with precision. These circumstances I give
on the authority of officers who have been beaten
back. Every tide brings us in boats full of wounded
and fugitives. Yesterday the rebels were in possession
of Wexford ; thus a port is open to the French, but
it is a very bad harbour. At New Ross, ten miles
from hence, about 1000 troops and some artillery are
got together : the insurgents are around Wexford,
about twenty-eight miles from thence. As yet, from
the spirit of the principal inhabitants and clergy uniting
to guard it, this city has not risen."

Father John Murphy may be well styled the master-
mind of the rebellion in the south of Ireland. It is
evident that he was what is comprehensively called " a
born leader of men," and he possessed an intuitive
knowledge of guerilla warfare not usually associated
with those who are supposed to be adepts in the art
of peace. In his choice of lieutenants Father John
was scarcely less fortunate. He gave the command
of the rebel band which he now proposed to leave in
Wexford to Captain Matthew Keugh, an ex-officer
of the British army. Thus, by a strange turn of
Fortune's wheel, a Protestant soldier who had fought

1 Fawcett.

ioo THE WAR IN WEXFORD

against the American colonists in the War of Inde-
pendence became the commander of men whose
aspirations were by no means dissimilar. 1 A committee
of seven, with Bagenal Harvey 2 as president, was
appointed, Keugh being governor. A sub-committee
was responsible for the affairs of the town. As for
Father John, he was no more disposed to rest on his
laurels at Wexford than he had been at Enniscorthy.
A much-needed supply of ammunition and arms
having been secured from vessels at anchor in the
harbour, his followers were in high spirits. The Re-
publican air-castle seemed to have assumed a tangible
form. With crucifix upraised the militant defender of
the Faith left the scene of his latest triumph on the
3ist May, sighing for other towns to conquer and larger
game to run to earth in county Wicklow, which happy
hunting-ground he hoped to reach by way of Arklow.

" May 31. Camolin Cavalry, with 20 North Cork
Militia, and 10 Gorey Infantry, under the command
of Lieut. Swaine ordered to reconnoitre towards Cor-

1 Matthew Keugh (Miles Byrne spells it Keogh) was formerly
Captain-Lieutenant of the 65th Regiment. " He was about five
feet nine inches high," Musgrave tells us (p. 444), " and rather
robust. His countenance was comely, his features were large,
and indicative of an active, intelligent mind. Joined to a very
happy and persuasive manner of expressing himself, he had an
engaging address, and great affability of manner."

2 Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey (1762-1798), of Bargay Castle,
was a Protestant, and, like Fitzgerald, a man of means. Educated
at Trinity College, Dublin, he was called to the Irish Bar. According
to Musgrave (p. 388), " His figure was small, and his countenance,
though ugly and rather mean, was expressive. He was universally
allowed to be a man of humanity, and of the strictest honour and
integrity." Harvey was executed on the 27th June, 1798.

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 101

rigrua Hill Lieut. Elliott with a party of Gorey and
Ballaghkeene Cavalry, 20 Antrim Militia, and 10 Gorey
Infantry, march towards Camolin. On the approach
of the former party to Corrigrua, the Rebels posted
there appeared in force, and placing their hats on their
pikes, gave several dreadful yells. Express sent to-
wards Camolin to inform Lieut. Elliott. Party advance
to the Crosses of Ballymore, and thence to the summit
of the Hill, where no Rebel was to be seen, they having
fled in all directions. Cavalry pursue, and kill a great
number of them. Return to Gorey 1 thro' Ballycanew,
the latter place seemed deserted by all parties. Cavalry
patrole to commence at 9 o'clock, and continue 'till
five Loyalists to take part of the town duty."

There were now two permanent camps, namely, on
Vinegar Hill and at the Three Rocks, and two bands
of rebels having special objects in view, in addition
to Father John's forces. The successes of the in-
surgents had gathered many to their standards. Each
loyalist defeat also added to the material strength of
the malcontents, and enabled them to secure rations,
ammunition, weapons, and sometimes one or two
pieces of artillery. Independent corps came into being,
and some of the larger corps divided. It is not always
easy, therefore, to trace their individual efforts,
especially as contemporary accounts frequently dis-
agree. There was much coming and going, small bands

1 According to Hay (p. 137), some of the yeomen pillaged the
surrounding country to no inconsiderable extent, " brought away
as much as they could carry, driving off numbers of cattle, some
belonging to Lord Mount Norris. ..."

102 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

joining larger ones, only to become scattered units
when defeat precluded concentration. On the 3ist
May, the commanders held a council of war at the
Three Rocks, when it was decided that three main
bodies should be constituted. The two Murphys, with
head-quarters on Ballymenane Hill, and Anthony
Perry, moving from Corrigrua Hill, were to secure
Gorey and force their way into Wicklow, where they
expected large reinforcements. A second division
under Bagenal Harvey, until recently a fellow-prisoner
of John Colclough in Wexford jail, with Father Philip
Roche 1 as second in command, was ordered to take
New Ross, and raise the counties of Kilkenny and
Waterford. Their chief station was on Carrickbyrne
Hill. Father Kearns, 2 with Captains Doyle and Red-
mond, were to start from Enniscorthy, secure Newtown-
barry, march through Carlow and Kildare, and, if
possible, enter Dublin. His force amounted to about
2,500 men. 3 Miles Byrne entertained a very good
opinion of Kearns, of whom he says : " Had he been
bred to the military profession in a country like France,
where courage and merit were sure of being recom-
pensed, he would have been a Kleber, and soon have
been raised to the front rank in any army he made
part of." 4

1 Father Philip Roche had been curate to the Rev. John Synnott,
of Gorey, but was removed on account of his intemperate habits.
He afterwards became curate to the Rev. Thomas Doyle, Bantry.
Gordon (p. 140) draws attention to his humanity and courage.

2 Father Kearns was in Paris during the Reign of Terror ;
executed at Edenderry on the i2th July, 1798.

3 Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 63.
* Ibid., p. 64.

THE HARVEST OF REVOLT 103

Although there was much discussion, not unmixed
with criticism, amongst the more important men of
the rebel army as to the wisdom of the different
schemes of campaign, all were enthusiastic in the
cause, and enthusiasm behind a weapon, be it carbine
or pike, doubles its effectiveness. With light hearts
they set out for their various bases on the last day of
May. The Croppy War in Wexford had taken on a
very serious aspect indeed.

The military situation is summed up in the following
communication from Lord Castlereagh to Mr. Wick-
ham, 1 dated 3ist May, 1798 :

" The rebels still continue in force in the Counties
of Wicklow, Wexford, Kildare, Carlow, Meath, and
King's County; it is difficult to bring them to any
decisive action. They commit horrid cruelties, and
disperse as soon as the troops appear. Should the
insurrection confine itself within the present limits, a
short time will dispose of it. There are some un-
pleasant appearances in certain parts of the North,
but as yet all is in fact quiet in Ulster, Munster, and
Connaught. . . . The spirit of the country rises with
its difficulties. Should the rebellion prove only partial,
aided by the reinforcements expected from England,
I look with confidence to the issue, which, if fortunate,
cannot fail to place this kingdom, and of course the
empire, in a state of security much beyond that in
which it has stood for years past." 2

1 William Wickham (1761-1840), Under-Secretary in the Home
Department 1798-1800; Chief Secretary in Ireland 1802-1804;
Member of the Treasury Board 1806-1807.

2 Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. I., p. 212.

CHAPTER V

FROM THE CAPTURE OF GOREY TO THE
BATTLE OF ROSS

"All religions that I fell in with in Ireland seemed to me too
irreligious : really, in sad truth, doing mischief to the people
instead of good." CARLYLE.

"W" UNE i. The Patrole of last night gave infor-

mation that they saw a large fire on Corrigrua

Hill, and heard great shouting about the dawn

*^ of the day. Ordered that Lieut. Smith, and 20
men of the Camolin Cavalry do proceed on a recon-
notreing party towards Corrigrua Hill and return to
Gorey by Ballycanew. On the party coming in sight
of Corrigrua, the Rebels kindled a large fire, for the
purpose of (as we supposed) calling their Pickets in, as
men were seen running and galloping to the Hill from
all directions. Patrole took another route from that
they intended, and coming to the Crosses of Ballymore,
saw the Hill thickly planted with Rebels, and another
party after setting fire to Mount-Howard house, and
Cabbins occupied by Protestants. Between this and
Ballycanew, a large party was observed burning all
the Protestant houses in Tommagaddy, but on their
seeing the cavalry the[y] hastened to Ballycanew to cut
of [f] their retreat to Gorey, whilst the entire body from

104

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 105

the Hill came pouring down in the same direction. At
Ballycanew the Patrole was attacked by the town guard
of Rebels, but were defeated without any loss on their
side Patrole had one Man and his horse slightly
wounded. Patrole arrived in Gorey and reported. A
meeting of the Officers held, when it was determined to
march out meet the Rebels, and not give them time to
make a formal attack. Trumpets sounded and Drums
beat, and in about 10 minutes a party consisting of 20
Antrim, 20 North Cork, 20 Gorey Infantry, 46 Gorey
Cavalry [Lieut. Woodroofe], 36 Ballaghkeen x Cavalry
[Captain White], and 46 Camolin Cavalry [Lieut.
Smith], all under the direction of Lieut. Elliott,
marched out to attack them. From the Hill of
Ballymenane, midway between Ballycanew and Gorey,
the Rebel force was observed they had formed a
Camp and were refreshing themselves after their march
advancing down the hill towards Essex Bridge,
they met the Rebels driving a vast number of Horses
and other Cattle before them, whilst the ditches inside
the road were lined with their Gunsmen. The action
now commenced, and for an hour was maintained with
great spirit, but at length the Rebels gave way and fled
in all directions. The Cavalry then pursued them over
a large scope of the country, and killed a great number
of them. 2 Infantry entered Ballycanew, and there set
fire to several houses, among which was that belonging
to James Kenny, a Man who was strongly suspected

1 Sometimes written Ballakeen by contemporary historians.

2 Lecky states that " the victorious army abstained from
pursuit" (Vol. IV., p. 384). Taylor asserts that about 150 rebels
were killed (p. 48).

io6 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

of having a great hand in the Conspiracy He was
taken by some of the Suplimentary Yeoman and Shot.
Rescued two of Gorey Cavalry, and some Loyalists
who had been prisoners with the Rebels reported, that
their numbers were upwards of 1000, that they were
headed by Priest Murphy of Ballycanew, who, tho'
they had more Officers of high rank, he had the chief
command that they were to have encamped on
Ballymenane Hill that night, and being joined by a
large force from Corrigrua, under the command of
Anthony Perry, 1 were to have attacked Gorey early
on the following morning. Lieut. Elliott got a slight
wound by a fall from his horse one of his Men a
wound in the thigh, and one of the Gorey Cavalry
a wound in the Arm. Party returned safe to Gorey,
driving before them a vast number of Horses, Mules
and Asses, and bearing a variety of Standards taken
from the Rebels. 2 Strong Patroles, and double Sentries
mounted this night."

The force under Father Kearns 3 which marched
from Enniscorthy towards Newtownbarry on the
morning of the same day met with no better fortune.
The loyalist garrison there had been hastily des-
patched from Dublin, and consisted of but a few

1 Anthony Perry, a Protestant who had been arrested and con-
fined at Gorey previous to the rebellion, liberated on the 28th May,
1798. His house being entered by yeomen, he joined the insurgents,
and afterwards paid the penalty by being hanged at Edenderry,
King's County, " a little before the end of the rebellion."

2 According to Taylor (p. 48), over 100 horses, some guns and
pikes, and two green standards.

3 Called Father Kern by Froude (see Vol. III., p. 459).

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 107

hundred men, made up of King's County militia,
yeoman infantry, volunteers, Newtownbarry and
Carlow cavalry, and a few of the 4th Dragoons, com-
manded by Colonel L'Estrange of the King's County
regiment. The rebels posted themselves on a near-
by hill, but as the point did not prove so advantageous
as they had hoped, owing either to the short range
or the bad serving of their artillery, they descended
and prepared to rush the town. By a skilful manoeuvre
Colonel L'Estrange retreated towards Carlow, where-
upon the insurgents poured into Newtownbarry, making
the place a veritable inferno with their yells, and the
crackling of wood and the volume of smoke soon made
it evident that their old practice of setting houses on
fire was in operation. The loyalists who had re-
mained shot at the disorderly mob from whatever
point of vantage they could secure. Colonel L'Estrange,
urged on by his troops rather than seizing the op-
portunity on his own initiative, charged into the
town, to the complete dismay of the captors, who,
according to some reports, were celebrating what
they thought was a complete victory by imbibing
whatever liquor they could discover. 1 They fled in
the wildest confusion, and were followed for four
miles by the troops, who thus prevented the junction
with the Carlow and Kildare rebels which was to
have been effected the following day. Well may
Taylor refer to the yeomen who behaved with such
conspicuous gallantry on this occasion as " the mili-
tary saviours of their country, and the bulwark of

1 Byrne indignantly denies this charge (see Vol. I., p. 65).

io8 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

the Irish nation." 1 The scattered units of Reams'
army succeeded in making their way in detached
bands to Vinegar Hill, where the majority of them
arrived on Saturday, the 2nd June. On the following
day they joined John Murphy, Redmond, Perry, and
Roche at Corrigrua Hill, 2 whose men were now in
one body, and being drilled by yeomen who had either
resigned or been dismissed from their corps before
the breaking out of the rebellion. 3

" June 2. Advices was this morning received that
the Rebels to the amount of 30,000, had on Wednesday
the 30 Ultimo, attacked the town of Wexford, com-
pleatly routed the Garrison there, and destroyed the
town. Reconnoitreing parties ordered to patrole to-
wards Ballycanew, Corrigrua Hill, and Camolin, to
act with the greatest caution. Private intelligence
was this day in circulation, that a large Brigade of
Military were on their March, and to arrive in Gorey
this evening -No Military arrived. Strong Patroles
and double Guards on all the leading Avenues to the
town to Report every two hours.

" June 3. A party from each Yeomanry Corps of
Cavalry to patrole from hence towards Corrigrua Hill,
to be commanded by an officer Lieut. Smith of the
Camolin Cavalry, from his knowledge of the Country,
chosen on this Service. A Detatchment of the Antient
British Light Dragoons, commanded by Colonel Sir

1 Taylor, p. 45.

2 Byrne, Vol. I., p. 67.

3 Ibid., Vol. I., p. 71.

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 109

Watkin Wynne J arrived in town. The party ordered
to Corrigrua returned Lieut. Smith reported that
on his coming in view of the Hill the Rebels posted
thereon set their hats on their Pikes, and having
lighted several fires, as he supposed for signals, they
set up a most dreadful Yell he proceeded as far as
M rs Donovan's gate at Ballymore, when a band of
Rebels rushed from the house, inclosures, &c. and
fired several shots at his party, on which they re-
treated. In the evening, a considerable force of Mili-
tary arrived at Gorey, consisting of the Dumbarton
Fencible Infantry, detatchments of the Londonderry,
Armagh, and Antrim Militia, Tyrone and Suffolk
Light Companies, and the Arklow Yeoman Cavalry
and Infantry, under the Command of Major-General
Loftus and Colonel Walpole 2 Yeomanry ordered to
provide two days provision, and to be in readiness for
marching at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning. Strong
Patroles and double Sentry's on all the leading
Avenues to the town and to Report.

" June 4. Three file from each Yeomanry Corps
of Cavalry ordered to attend as Guides to the Army
who are preparing to surround the Rebel Army
posted on Corrigrua Hill. Some information re-
specting the Plan formed by the Rebels for an attack
on Gorey, 3 was communicated to Col. Walpole by

1 Colonel Sir Watkin Williams Wynne.

2 Colonel Lambert Theodore Walpole (1757-1798), aide-de-camp
to Lord Camden.

3 Their ambition was now to capture Gorey and New Ross, in
order " to open out a communication to other counties, and thus
to produce that general insurrection throughout Ireland without

no THE WAR IN WEXFORD

John Doolin of Clogh, 1 a Loyalist, for which he was
order[ed] into confinement. At half past nine, the
line was inspected by Col. Walpole preparatory to
their march he objects to having any of the Camolin
Cavalry to attend the Army, but on Captain White's
representing them as Men of strict loyalty and con-
duct, he consents to their moving with the Army. At
10 the Army, consisting of 1500 men with five pieces
of Cannon, under the command of Gen. Loftus and
Col. Walpole march out of Gorey for the purpose of
surrounding and cutting off the Rebels on Corrigrua
the division under Gen. Loftus march in the direction
of Ballycanew, to surround the Hill on one side
Walpole's division march through Clogh to take another
side of the Hill, but are met at Tubberneering by the
entire Rebel force from Corrigrua, and totally defeated
Col. Walpole killed by a ball thro' his head the
remnant of Walpole's Army (which was by much the
weakest) having lost three pieces of Cannon, retreated
in confusion to Gorey, and as they passed down the

which the Wexford rebellion was manifestly hopeless " (Lecky,
Vol. IV., p. 384). Perry sent urgent messages to Vinegar Hill
and Wexford requesting immediate reinforcements. Taylor (p.
48) says that 12,000 insurgents under the two priests Kearns
and Redmond were accordingly sent to Corrigrua Hill, where 8,000
were already stationed under Perry. Many detached and indepen-
dent bodies also came to swell the augmented host, including that
portion of the Shilmalier cavalry under Sergt. Edward Roche
which had deserted a week before.

1 Gordon states that this intelligence was given by "a re-
spectable farmer, named Thomas Dowling," and that the rebels
also knew of the intended movements of the army, owing to the
incautious publicity given to them in the town, which the dis-
affected passed on (p. 114).

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY in

street, were fired at from the windows, by persons who
had in the morning, every appearance of Loyalty. 1
Army retreat out of Gorey with difficulty, and proceed
to Arklow, the inhabitants of which used the fugitive
Loyalists in a very ungenerous manner. Lieut. Smith
and Serjeant Nesbit after encountering great diffi-
culties, arrive safe at Arklow. The entire Army stood
to their Arms, and at a Council of War held at 12 o'clock
at night, it was there resolved to evacuate the town,
and proceed immediately to Wicklow. Orders ' No
person to quit the town, untill the Garrison marches
over the Bridge.'

" June 5. After having burned every thing military
which the[y] could not take with them, the Military
commenced their march at 2 o'clock, taking with them
several Prisoners who were confined in the Guard Room
on charges of Rebellion. Arrived in Wicklow about
10 o'clock, where the Army and Loyalists received all
the kindness their calamitous conditions required.
At 7 in the afternoon, Major General Needham, 2 with
the Cavan Regiment of Militia, Col. Maxwell, arrived
in Wicklow, having travelled in Carriages, &c. hired
for the purpose, from Loughlinstown Camp. This

1 Loftus sent a detachment to support Walpole, who assumed
separate command, but he himself did not reach the scene of the
disaster until all was over. Feeling his army too weak to attack
Gorey, where the rebels at once took up a strong position, he
retreated to Carnew, and later to Carlow. The loyalist cause lost
over fifty men. In this battle Father Philip Roche played a promi-
nent part.

2 Major-General the Hon. Francis Needham (1748-1832), M.P.
for Newry 1806-1818 ; twelfth Viscount Kilmorey 1818 ; Earl of
Kilmorey 1822.

H2 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Evening, Captain Earl Mount Norris arrived from
Dublin, and joined his Corps of Yeoman Cavalry.
' Orders The Garrison to march for Arklow, to-
morrow morning at 10 o'clock.' Strong Patroles and
double Sentry's on all the leading Avenues to the town.
The Marching Army to be exempt from Duty this
night." l

When the insurgents were in complete possession of
Gorey it was not long before they secured both liquor
and plunder. Taylor, the Protestant historian, had
the misfortune to be taken prisoner, and although the
account of his terrible experiences makes heartrending
reading, the vividness of the picture perhaps justifies
a lengthy quotation.

" I passed through many of the rebels," he writes,
" saw a great number of Protestants' houses burning
between me and home, and heard many shots fired
round the country, which I supposed to be levelled at
the poor inhabitants who were escaping from the
flames. I proceeded, however, without meeting any
opposition, until I got within three miles of my mother's
house ; just then a man followed me, whom I knew
not, and called out, ' where are you going, young
Taylor ? ' ordering me to stop. I obeyed, and thus
fell into the hands of the rebels. This was on Wed-
nesday the 6th of June. I was then taken to Gorey,
and confined in the market-house : at night the guards
that were placed over us, tied our arms behind, and

1 The total force now amounted to 1,500 or 1,600 effective men
(Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 428).

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 113

confined us to certain bounds which we should not pass.
The same evening they brought in another prisoner,
whom the merciless wretches shot next morning in the
street ; I saw him fall, and was shocked at the sight,
not knowing how soon it would be my own case.
Next day we had liberty to walk the room, our arms
being untied.

" The rebel camp was about half a mile from the
town, on an eminence which commanded the entire
country, and their numbers were increasing every day.
My Papist neighbours hearing I was in confinement,
came to see me ; wished me a speedy deliverance and
told me how to procure it ; namely, to be baptized by
a priest, and embrace the holy Roman Catholic faith,
(as they called it,) and join them in arms to fight for
the cause of liberty : many told me I would be shot
if I did not turn papist, and made use of great per-
suasion to prevail upon me. I told them I was obliged
to them, and doubted not that it was good nature
which induced them to speak as they did, but I was
baptized before, and had no reason to condemn the
Church of England ; yet if they could convince me of
its errors, I would freely renounce it, and until then,
they could not expect me to turn from it. To others
I said it required a little consideration, that such a
thing should not be done precipitately. . . . While a
prisoner here, they brought in a yeoman of the Castle-
town cavalry, whom they had just taken, and without
allowing him more than ten minutes to call on the
Lord, shot him in the street. Mr. Perry, the rebel
commander at Gorey Camp, would give him no longer

U4 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

time to prepare for eternity ! ' The mercies of the
wicked are cruel.'

" A few days after my being taken to Gorey, they
stript me of a suit of black, and gave me a soldier's
old jacket, waistcoat and small-clothes ; they also
took from me my hat, neckcloth and shoes ; and
having thus plundered me, they left me to meditate on
what was likely to follow : all the prisoners were
served the same way. Having thus stripped us,
they led us forth to the camp to be shot. Providen-
tially two days prior to this, Mr. Harvey, the com-
mander-in-chief of the rebel forces in the county of
Wexford, issued a proclamation from Carrigburne
camp, one of the articles of which was, ' It is also
resolved, that any person or persons who shall take
upon him or them, to kill or murder any person or
persons, burn any house, or commit any plunder,
without special written orders from the commander-
in-chief, shall suffer death.'

" Just as we were ranged on our knees, and our
executioners in their appointed places, with pikes and
musquets to put us all to death, a man came into the
camp, with the above proclamation ; which was
immediately read, and proved the means, under God,
of saving our lives. Nevertheless we were near being
sacrificed by these blood-thirsty men ; being so enraged
with disappointment, they would hardly let us return to
our prison alive. Some they stabbed, at others they
fired : one man received five wounds from a pike,
and had three ribs broken ; another was shot through
the shoulder ; and I being arrayed with the soldier's

coat, was struck several times, and received a stab in
the back, and after being thus abused we were ordered
to the guard-house. . . .

" I cannot ascertain the number of rebels that were
in the camp, which was so extensive that it covered
many acres of ground. It was distressing to see no
military force then in the country sufficient to engage
them ; it also distressed me to see their colours flying,
and to hear their drums and trumpets, not knowing
where it would end. . . . God was indeed very kind
to me here ; for the next morning they cut the hair
off the prisoner's heads, and put pitched caps on them
all ; but they meddled not with me ; though even a
minister of the Church of England, who was a fellow
prisoner, was served the same way. On Saturday the
9th of June, the whole body of the rebels prepared to
attack Arklow ; and as they marched from the camp
through the town, the guards thrust the prisoners half
out of the windows, that the insurgents might see their
heads shorn and pitched ; at which they shouted so
loud, that it seemed to pierce the very skies. . . .

" Our bed in this place was only a truss of straw,
and that bestowed with a very scanty hand ; which
notwithstanding might have afforded some refreshment,
only that it was swarming with vermin. Our food
also was very scanty ; no man got as much in twenty-
four hours as would suffice for one meal ; but this
I say, they treated me with more attention than the
rest of the prisoners." 1

1 Taylor, pp. 176-180.

n6 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

" June 6. Camolin Cavalry received one Guinea
each Man from their Captain Earl Mount Norris, on
account of their pay. At 10 o'clock the troops
consisting of the Cavan Militia and the defeated Army
at Tubberneering, commanded by Gen. Needham,
marched from Wicklow to Arklow burned some
houses on and near the road Ordered by the General
to burn no more his orders not strictly obeyed a
private of the Arklow Yeoman Infantry put under
an arrest for burning a house contrary to orders.
Within three miles of Arklow, observed some boats
in the Offing, and by the help of glasses saw they were
Men and Women arrived at Arklow about five
o'clock, and found the town almost destitute of
inhabitants were informed that as soon as they heard
of the Army marching towards the town, they quit
their habitations and took to boats, thinking that
the Army would destroy them all. Ordered by Gen.
Needham to come ashore, return to their habitations,
and that he would protect them from the Army,
which was much enraged All the Spirituous Liquors
in the town, put under requisition, lest the military
would make to[o] free with it a Court Martial called,
and the Yeoman of Arklow Infantry, put on trial
sentenced for Execution, and on the Evening Parade
brought out to suffer, but thro' the interference of
Colonel Maxwell, he was pardoned Col. Maxwell read
the Articles of War to the Military and Yeomanry."

" June 7. One file from the Dragoons and each of
the Yeoman Cavalry Corps, ordered as an escort to
Wicklow, with the Carriages in which the Cavan

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 117

Regiment came down. Patroles of Dragoons and
Yeoman Cavalry sent out on Reconnoitreing Parties.
Yeomanry began to draw Rations from Commissary's
stores this day. Detatchments from the 5th & gth
Dragoons march into town this day."

On the yth the rebel army left Gorey, and marched
to attack Carnew, which Loftus had evacuated the
day before. An encampment was at once formed on
Kilcaven Hill, and part of the town set on fire, which
Byrne sensibly calls a " useless retaliation." 1 When
information of the reoccupation of Arklow came to
hand the foolishness of this march became apparent,
and leaving Carnew on the 8th the insurgents again
encamped on Gorey Hill, preparatory to attacking
the troops at Arklow.

" June 8. The following Orders were issued this
morning, and directed to be, (with all other Orders)
entered in the Orderly-Book :

" ' General Orders, Arklow, June 8, 1798.

' As none of the Yeomanry Corps have given in
Reports of the duty they have done the day before,
excepting the Earl of Mount-Norris's troop, they are
required to be more attentive in future to Orders.
They are not on any account to ride their horses fast
through the Street, nor are they to use their horses
except when on Duty. The General requires more
particular attention from the Yeomanry Corps on the
Patroles, which he thinks and finds are neither

1 Byrne, Vol. I., p. 88.

n8 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

numerous nor frequent enough. Whenever a par-
ticular patrole is ordered during the day or night, a
report is to be made immediately to the General. An
Orderly from each Yeomanry Corps in town to attend
at the General Quarters 'till the Major of Brigade of
Yeomanry shall dismiss him. All Returns to be made
to Captain Howard, Brigade Major of Yeomanry.'

" Two file from each Yeomanry Corps of Cavalry,
with dispatches from Major Gen. Needham to Wicklow,
from thence to be forwarded to Lord Castlereagh,
Dublin Castle. A General Inspection of Yeomanry,
ordered [to] take place this day at 12 o'clock Corps
to be on the Inspection ground at half-past eleven
o'clock. The inspection took place at 12 o'clock, after
which the several Cavalry Corps were ordered out on
Reconnoitreing Parties.

" June 9. From the Morning Parade, 'Patroling
parties ordered to ride slowly on Arklow Rock Road,
Coolgreny road, and the road leading to Poolahoney
Wood, and remain 'till relieved by the Night Patroles.
At i o'clock the Loyal Durham Regiment of Fencible
Infantry, commanded by Col. Skerrit, 1 arrived in town,

1 Colonel Skerrett, who succeeded the Marquis of Huntly in
the command at Gorey. Gordon (p. 198) says that Colonel Skerrett
" observed so strict a discipline, that nothing more was heard of
military depredation." Musgrave (p. 437) gives the strength of the
detachment of the Durham Fencibles as 300 effective men. In the
list which he prints on the following page the number is given as
245 rank and file. The Dumbarton infantry of 105 rank and file
also formed part of Skerrett's division, but no mention is made of
the Gorey Yeoman Cavalry. Lecky (Vol. IV., p. 430) states that
there were 360 Durham Fencibles. The same authority (p. 428)
gives the total loyalist force as 1,500 or 1,600 effective men, and
that of the insurgents at 25,000, 30,000, or even 34,000 men. General

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 119

and in an hour after the Gorey Yeoman Cavalry,
commanded by Lieut. Woodroofe, marched in from
Dublin. At 3 o'clock a Dragoon from the Rock Road
galloped into town, and informed Gen. Needham that
a crowd of Men who they (his party) supposed to be
Rebels were approaching their post at the Rock. In a
few minutes, the other patroles galloped into town
with the same information, and shortly after the whole
body of the Rebels from Gorey made their appearance.
Two file of Dragoons dispatched with the intelligence
to Wicklow. Dragoons and Yeoman Cavalry under
the command of Col. Sir Watkin Wynne, ordered to
take post on the sandy hills beyond the Bridge, but
they were so exposed to the fire of the enemy, he
ordered that they should take shelter in the vallies
between the hills, 'till they would be ordered to make
a Charge. Rebels set the houses in the Fishery 1 on
fire. Cavalry ordered to Charge a body of Rebels
who were advancing to the town by the Beech
compleatly routed them with slaughter, in which
Captain [Thomas] Knox [Grogan] of the Castletown
Yeoman Cavalry, and two of his Men were killed.

Needham estimated them at about 19,000 (Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 428).
Musgrave says 25,000 (p. 440) ; Gordon 27,000 (p. 129) ; Kavanagh
20,000 (p. 183) ; Byrne 20,000 (p. 98). A like discrepancy exists
with regard to the weapons of the rebels. Gordon asserts that they
had nearly 5,000 men with firearms, and three serviceable pieces of
artillery ; Kavanagh gives 2,000 firearms, " many of which were
out of order and of little use," 3,000 only had pikes, the remainder
fighting with scythes, pitchforks and other farm implements. Byrne
maintains that there were not 2,000 firelocks, and only between
3,000 and 4,000 " tolerably well mounted pikes."
1 The lower part of the town.

120 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Dragoons and Yeoman Cavalry took their former
station, ordered to Charge again, and again returned
to their station. Rebels beginning to retreat, in which
they set fire to the dwelling house of the Rev. Edward
Bayley, Rector of Arklow, and an active Magistrate,
by which it was burned to the ground. At 8 o'clock
the Rebels were completely routed. 1 Infantry stood
to their arms 'till 4 next morning, Dragoons and
Cavalry patroled 'till the same hour.

" June 10. At 4 this morning the Troops were in
part relieved from Duty, to refresh themselves and
their horses went to view the dead bodies, all of
which had a homed appearance one of the Slain
was recognised to be Priest Murphy of Bally canew ; 2
he was torn across the body, it was supposed by a
cannister shot. Dead men and horses were lying in
heaps in the fields, on the roads, and in the ditches.
Orders given to the Suplementary Yeoman and
Followers to remove the Dead bodies and bury them ;
numbers taken in cars and thrown into the Sea. Two
file from each detatchment of Dragoons and Yeoman
Cavalry ordered with dispatches for Wicklow, Newtown
Kennedy, Bray, Loughlinstown Camp, and Dublin.
Detatchmentsfrom the Antrim Militia and 7th Dragoons

1 Over 1,000 insurgents were killed in the battle of Arklow,
according to the conservative estimate of General Needham, and
but few on the loyalist side, including Captain Thomas Knox Grogan,
who commanded the Castletown Yeoman Cavalry. The latter was
a brother of Cornelius Grogan, a Wexford rebel who paid the full
penalty for his misdeeds. Froude gives the most graphic descrip-
tion of the contest. See Vol. III., pp. 480-482.

2 Father Michael Murphy. Michael Redmond was also killed.

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 121

march into town from Rathdrum. Yeomanry paraded
at 10, when the following Orders were read, and ordered
to be Coppied by each Corps of Yeomanry in their
Orderly Books :

" ' General Orders, Arklow, June 10, 1798.

" ' Major General Needham takes the earliest
opportunity of returning his thanks to the Com-
missioned, non-Commissioned Officers and Privates
of the several Yeomanry Corps, who he had the honour
to command yesterday, for their cool and spirited
conduct when in the front of a most cruel and ferocious
enemy, and he hartily congratulates them on the
happy issue of their meritorious exertions.

" ' Reconnoitreing parties sent out, with orders to
act with caution, and not to advance to[o] far from
town. The Military which arrived in town this
morning ordered to return again to Rathdrum.' '

According to Miles Byrne, who was present, the
battle of Arklow was lost by the rebels because there
was no definite commander-in-chief, orders being
issued by various men indiscriminately, and apparently
with no thought of concerted action. Father Michael
Murphy was certainly very conspicuous, and led his
column with his usual daring, and John Hay, 1 Esmond

1 Colonel John Hay, of the loth Lancers, brother of Edward
Hay the historian. Kavanagh (p. 309) asserts that after taking
part in the defeat of Walpole at Clogh, he made his way to Dublin
and rejoined his regiment. Kavanagh says he was assured of the
fact by a nephew of Esmond Kyan. Harwood (p. 174) says that
John Hay had been an officer in the French Army.

122 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Kyan, 1 Dick Monk, 2 Thomas Dixon, 3 and William and
Garret Byrne 4 were also present. 5 If Kavanagh is to
be believed, Father John Murphy was of opinion that
" Wexford ought to fight in defence of Wexford alone," 6
and this is the reason why he did not accompany this
band. The statement is supported by Taylor, who
tells us that " Priest Murphy of Boolavogue met them
retreating, and told them that he knew they would be
defeated; yet they would not take his advice." 7 On
the other hand, Byrne positively asserts that Father
John played a prominent part in the field, and he waxes
eloquent on the subject. " Father John Murphy," he
notes, " apparently with the simplicity of a child, was
a lion in the fight ; in short he knew not, nor cared,
nor feared danger, from the moment he was forced
to take the field to save his life from the tyrants who
had burned his house, his chapel, and all he possessed,

1 Esmond Kyan, rebel captain of artillery. Youngest son of
Howard Kyan, Esquire, of Mount Howard, Co. Wexford. He was
wounded at the battle of Arklow.

2 Richard Monaghan, alias Dick Monk, formerly a recruiting
sergeant.

3 Thomas Dixon, son of a publican of Castlebridge, near Wex-
ford, and master of a vessel owned by his brother, who was a pros-
perous merchant. He was the most notorious of the many men who
played a prominent part in the town of Wexford when it was in the
hands of the rebels. His subsequent career is shrouded in mystery,
but Kavanagh (p. 263 n.) states that Dixon fled to America and died
many years afterwards.

4 William Michael Byrne (1773-1798). Formerly a yeoman in
the Mount Kennedy Corps. Executed the 28th July, 1798. Garret
Byrne (circa ijj^.-circa 1829). He eventually surrendered to
General Moore, and was perpetually exiled.

6 Taylor, p. 89.

6 Kavanagh, p. 322.

7 Taylor, p. 97.

ollection of Mr. A. M. Broadley,

HOULAVOGUE

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 123

on the 26th of May : and this day at Arklow he was
seen in every critical situation encouraging the men
and exposing himself to the greatest danger, wherever
he thought his presence could be useful. He was so
well known that the moment he was perceived there
was a general burst of joy and enthusiasm throughout
the ranks of the army. Thus it may be fairly said of
Father John, that he contributed most powerfully to
the success of the day at Arklow." 1

From the above evidence we think that Byrne's
memory must have failed him when he sat down to
describe the battle of Arklow, for his Memoirs were
not written until years after the event. Teeling,
Musgrave, Harwood, Gordon, Hay, Maxwell, and
Lecky make no mention of Father John, and Kavanagh
positively asserts that he was at Castletown. 2 Froude's
reference is inconclusive. 3

Badly equipped to meet an army well provided with
firearms and artillery, the pikemen were mown down
before they had an opportunity of showing their skill
at close quarters. Almost in despair, the rebels cried,
" Boys, we have no one to lead us." Whereupon
Father Michael, whose baton seems to have been a
riding-whip, although at the beginning of the battle
he bore a green flag with a white cross and the motto
" Death or Liberty," 4 seized a pike and led a charge
Kavanagh speaks of him on the authority of an eye-
witness as falling " literally riddled with bullets "

1 Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 102.

2 Kavanagh, p. 186 n.

3 Froude, Vol. III., p. 479-82.

4 Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 430.

124 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

before he reached the enemy's lines. 1 The death of
their hero so disheartened the insurgents that they
began to retreat immediately. " For my own part,"
Byrne remarks, " I never could ascertain who it was that
gave the order to our army to march back to our camp
at Gorey Hill, at the moment the battle was gained
and the King's forces quitting the town and retreating
on the road to Wicklow. The Durham Fencibles
that were left to cover this retreat only waited till it
became dark to begin their retrograde march un-
perceived. . . . How melancholy to think a victory
so dearly bought should have been abandoned
for which no good or plausible motive could ever be
assigned." 2

It is generally understood that there was a hesi-
tancy on the part of General Needham, which was
amply amended by the dashing bravery of Colonel
Skerrett, the second in command. 3 Byrne himself
admits that the rebels had practically exhausted their
ammunition, but thinks that if fires had been lighted,
the enemy would have evacuated the town, believing
another attack imminent. He refers to the King's
troops as "in a state of disorder and panic struck,"
which is drawing the long-bow too taut.

Another rebel who rendered good service was Esmond
Kyan, who held the rank of captain and commanded

1 Several of the dead priest's relatives carried his body from
the field to Castle Ellis churchyard for interment (Kavanagh,
P- 307)-

2 Byrne, Vol. I., pp. 103-104.

3 Rise and Fall of the Irish Nation. By Sir Jonah Barrington,
p. 448.

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 125

what little artillery the rebels possessed, but Anthony
Perry was the nominal leader. 1 With true Hibernian
humour Kyan remarked when his artificial arm was
taken off by a cannon-shot, " My loose timbers are
flying God bless the mark ! and now for the right
arm of the British line."

An unpleasant incident is narrated by Taylor as
having taken place after the battle of Arklow, and it
has been copied from him by most of the contemporary
historians. It is to the effect that Murphy's head was
struck off by order of Lord Mount Norris, and his body
thrown into a burning house. " Let his body go
where his soul is ! " the Earl is reported to have said. 2
The present writers are unable either to contradict or
affirm the truth of the story, and can only hope with
Gordon that " the writer was misinformed, and that
the noble earl, remarkable for his liberality to Roman-
ists, was not the author of this act." 3 Musgrave makes
no mention of the matter, while Hay thinks it probable
" that his lordship was induced, by this coup de main,
to prove to the world that he had not, though he
was supposed to have been, a friend to Catholics." 4
It is also asserted that some of the Ancient Britons
mangled the priest's remains in a most atrocious
manner.

Had the honours of the day rested with the rebels,
a march on Dublin would have been made immediately,

1 Taylor, p. 88.

2 Ibid., p. 96.

3 Gordon, p. 213.

4 Hay, p. 182.

126 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

and so serious was the situation in the metropolis
that the Lord-Lieutenant sent his wife and children
to England, an example followed by many of the
bishops and other notabilities. Writing from Dublin
on the ist June, Lake had already sounded a warning
to Government by asserting that " the insurrection
throughout the whole of this part of the country being
so general, and appearing rather to increase than to
subside, it is certainly highly desirable that as many
troops as can be spared from other service should
be sent to reinforce the army here, and that with
as much despatch as possible, effectually to disconcert
the plans of the rebels, and disperse them before they
become more formidable from numbers, or acquire
confidence from any other circumstance." 1 Now that
the serious aspect of the rebellion was obvious, the
English authorities began to wake up, and in a private
communication from Mr. Wickham to Lord Castle-
reagh, dated " Duke Street, Friday, June 8, 1798.
3om. past 10, P.M.," the latter is informed that " in
addition to the reinforcement of 3000 infantry and
1000 cavalry, already under orders, and in part, I hope,
arrived in Ireland, his Majesty's ministers have this
day advised the King to send 5000 more infantry
(2000 of the Guards) without delay to such parts of the
kingdom as his Excellency, in his despatches of to-day,
seems to point out as standing most in need of rein-
forcement, viz., the Guards to Waterford, embarking
at Portsmouth, (I hope, on Wednesday or Thursday
next) and the remaining 3000 from Scotland to the

1 Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. I., p. 213.

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 127

North of Ireland." 1 " There is no doubt an intention
to attempt a rising within the city," Camden writes to
Pelham on the nth, " The country is lost unless a
very large reinforcement of troops is landed." 2 In
corroboration of the designs of the insurgents on
Dublin, a note to an acquaintance residing there is
alleged to have been found on the body of Father
Michael Murphy, and is printed by Musgrave : 3

T? j TT " Gorey, 6th June.

Friend Houston,

" Great events are ripening. In a few days we
shall meet. The first fruits of your regeneration must
be a tincture of poison and pike, in the metropolis,
against hereticks. This is a tribunal for such opinions.
Your talents must not be buried as a judge : Your sons
must be steeled with fortitude against heresy, then we
shall do ; and you shall shine in a higher sphere. We
shall have an army of brave republicans, one hundred
thousand, with fourteen pieces of cannon, on Tuesday,
before Dublin ; your heart will beat high at the news.
You will rise with a proportionable force.

" Yours ever,

" M. MURPHY.
" Decipher, B. I. K. M. Q. Y. * * * "

Grattan's son, in his biography of his distinguished
father, tells a curious story usually overlooked by the
historians of the rebellion. According to him, " Two
of the chiefs had rode early one morning to a respect-

1 Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. I., p. 215.

2 Pelham MSS. cited by Lecky, Vol. IV., pp. 432-433.

3 Musgrave, p. 435.

128 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

able and wealthy farmer in the county of Wexford,
in order to induce him to join them. During their
conversation they disclosed their plan of advance
along the coast of Dublin. Except at Arklow, there
was scarce any stronghold on the line ; the way lay
open along the sea, and the march upon Dublin would
have been easily accomplished, as the military were
mostly in a distant part of the country, and the
insurgent force coming from Wexford exceeded 30,000
men. The brother of the person from whom I got the
anecdote, happening to be present, concealed himself
in the farmer's house, through fear of detection, and
overheard the conversation. On the departure of the
chiefs and their party, he wrote out a statement of the
occurrence, secured it inside his shoe, and proceeded
with every expedition across the country, till he
delivered it to the next military commander. Upon
the receipt of this intelligence in Dublin, every possible
exertion was made, and every sort of soldier, on every
sort of vehicle, was dispatched from the metropolis." 1

" The battle of Arklow was the last in which the
rebels had any real chance of success," says Lecky,
" and from this time the rebellion rapidly declined." 2
The defeated Irish army fell back on Gorey Hill, from
which centre many a marauding expedition set out.
Some of them were successful, while others fell into
the hands of the King's troops and were summarily
dealt with.

1 Life of Grattan. By his Son. Vol. IV., p. 395. Cited by
Harwood, p. 186.

2 Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 431.

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 129

We must now rapidly follow in the footsteps of the
insurgents under Bagenal Harvey. From June ist
to the 4th they were on Carrickbyrne, whence they had
moved from the Three Rocks, being reinforced from
many quarters, but losing much valuable time in the
process. The unwieldy mob got out of hand, for
Harvey was by no means a strong personality, and
burnings and plunderings were of daily occurrence.
The awful orgie at Scullabogue is too well known to
require recapitulation, and may be compared to the
savage barbarities of the Black Hole of Calcutta.
However, on the 4th an advance was made to Corbet
Hill, about a mile and a half from the wall-surrounded
town of New Ross. The little loyalist garrison, under
Major-General Ross, 1 was reinforced that evening by
the Dublin County Militia, commanded by Lord
Mount] oy z ; but the discrepancy in numbers was
enormous, for the total force amounted to about
1,400 men of the 5th Dragoons, the Clare, Donegal,
and Meath Militia, the Midlothian Fencibles, some
English artillery, and the Militia already mentioned. 3
The strength of the rebels was some 30,000 men.
Early in the morning of the 5th the following com-
munication was sent to the commander of the King's
forces, the unlucky messenger being shot by the guard,
although he was under cover of a flag of truce. For

1 Robert Ross (1766-1814), served in Holland 1799; in Italy
1806 ; in Spain 1808 ; in Walcheren Expedition 1809 ; in the
Peninsular 1812, and in the American War 1814, when he captured
Washington.

2 Rt. Hon. Luke Gardiner (1745-1798), created Lord Mountjoy
1789 ; Viscount 1795.

3 Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 388.

130 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

this act of treason there can be no excuse, indeed,
Gordon asserts that it was the rule to break this, the
most humane of the articles of war : l

" SIR,

" As a friend to humanity, I request you will
surrender the town of New Ross to the Wexford forces,
now assembled against it ; your resistance will but
provoke rapine and plunder to the ruin of the innocent.
Flushed with victory, the Wexford forces, now in-
surmountable and irresistible, will not be controlled
if they meet with resistance. To prevent the total
ruin of all property in the town, I urge you to a speedy
surrender a surrender which you will be forced to in
a few hours, with loss and bloodshed, as you are
surrounded on all sides ; your answer is required in a
few hours. Citizen Furlong comes with this letter,
and will bring the answer.

" I am Sir, &c., &c.

" B. B. HARVEY, M.G. 2
" Camp, Corbel Hill, half past 3 o'clock,
" Tuesday, $th June, 1798."

The battle began about two hours after the above
letter was written, and every inch of ground was
fiercely contested by both parties. 3 The story of the
fight is vividly told by one of the participants :

1 Gordon, p. 118.

* Taylor, p. 55.

3 The official letters quoted by Lecky (Vol. IV., pp. 399-400)
testify to this fact, and it is significant that Colonel Crawford wrote
that " The militia behaved with spirit, but are quite ungovern-
able." Ibid., p. 400,

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 131

" The rebels advanced, driving before them all
the black cattle they could collect through the country,
to disorder our ranks ; which was in some measure
prevented, by a few discharges of grape-shot. The
action was commenced by the 4th flank battalion ;
indeed such a close well-directed fire I never before
saw. I was an idle spectator for upwards of two hours
and a half. At near seven o'clock, the army began to
retreat in all directions. I had the honor to command
a six-pounder fieldpiece. The rebels pouring in like
a flood, artillery was called for, and human blood began
to flow down the street. Though hundreds were
blown to pieces by our grape-shot, yet thousands
behind them, being intoxicated from drinking during
the night, and void of fear, rushed upon us. The
cavalry were now ordered to make a charge through
them, when a terrible carnage ensued : they were cut
down like grass ; but the pike-men being called to the
front, and our swords being too short to reach them,
obliged the horse to retreat, which put us in some
confusion. We kept up the action till about half
past eight ; and it was maintained with such obstinacy
on both sides, that it was doubtful who would keep
the field. They then began to burn and destroy the
town it was on fire in many places in about fifteen
minutes. By this time the insurgents advanced as
far as the main-guard, where there was a most bloody
conflict ; but with the assistance of two ship-guns
placed in the street, we killed a great number of them,
and beat them back for some time. The Dublin
County regiment, headed by their colonel, Lord

132 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Mountjoy, now made another attack on the rebels,
and the action being revived in all quarters of the
town with double fury, many heroes fell, and among
them the brave Mountjoy : this so exasperated his
regiment, that they fought like furies, and now indeed
was the scene truly bloody. Our forces for the third
time being overpowered by the weight of such a body
pouring down upon us, we retreated beyond the
bridge, when General Johnson 1 came galloping up,
crying, ' Soldiers, I will lay my bones this day in
Ross, will you let me lie alone ? '

" Major Vesey, of the Dublin County, the next in
command to Lord Mountjoy, again led his men over
the bridge, exhorting them to revenge for the loss
of their colonel. The whole brigade (except some who
fled to Waterford) being led on by General Johnson,
as brave a commander as ever drew sword were
determined to retake the town, to conquer or to die.
Again we opened a tremendous fire on the rebels,
which was as fiercely returned. We retook the cannon
which had been captured from the King's forces in a
former engagement, and turned them on the enemy.
The gun I had the honor to command being called
to the main-guard, shocking was it to see the dreadful
carnage that was there ; it continued for half an hour
obstinate and bloody : the thundering of cannon
shook the town, the very windows were shivered in
pieces with the dreadful concussion. I believe six
hundred rebels lay dead in the main-street ; they

1 Sir Henry Johnson (1748-1835), first baronet (1818); served
in American War.

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 133

would often come within a few yards of the guns. One
fellow ran up, and taking off his hat and wig, thrust
them up the cannon's mouth the length of his arm,
calling to the rest, ' blood-an-ounds, my boys, come
take her now, she's stopt, she's stopt.' The action
was doubtful and bloody from four in the morning to
four in the evening, when they began to give way in all
quarters, and shortly after fled in every direction ;
leaving behind them all their cannon, baggage, pro-
visions, and several hogsheads of wine, whiskey,
brandy, &c. which we spilled, lest they should have
been poisoned. It was past five before we finally
routed them. The computation of their dead, was,
as near as I can furnish you,

" Three thousand four hundred buried.

" Sixty- two cart-loads thrown into the river.

" Sixty cart-loads taken away by the rebels.

" Some of them have since acknowledged, that those
cars were brought to carry away the plunder of the
town. In their flight, several dead bodies were
thrown into the houses which were on fire, and con-
sumed, so that it is almost impossible to ascertain
their numbers : but from every account that I could
learn, seven thousand rebels 1 lost their lives on this
day ! I know soldiers that fired one hundred and
twenty rounds of ball, and I fired twenty-one rounds
of cannister-shot with the field-piece I commanded." 2

1 " Some imagine the numbers slain did not amount to more
than two thousand two hundred, exclusive of numbers who crawled
away from the battle, and afterwards died of their wounds." Note
by Taylor, p. 59. According to the same authority 1 74 officers and
men were returned as killed or missing (pp. 61-62).

a Ibid., pp. 56-59.

134 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

When Harvey heard of the saturnalia at Scullabogue,
he is stated to have remarked on his unenviable position
in no uncertain terms. " I see now," he said, " my
folly in embarking in this cause with these people ;
if they succeed, I shall be murdered by them if they
are defeated, I shall be hanged." 1 He at once under-
stood the necessity of giving emphatic instructions as
to the future conduct of the lawless band he had the
misfortune to command, and also of massing his now
depleted forces. On the 6th June he accordingly
issued the following Proclamation from his head-
quarters at Carrickbyrne Camp, copies being sent
broadcast throughout Wexford.

" At a meeting of the General and several Officers
of the United Army of the county of Wexford, the
following Resolutions have been agreed upon :

" RESOLVED, that the Commander-in-chief shall
send guards to certain baronies, for the purpose of
bringing in all those they shall find lurking and delaying
at home or elsewhere ; and if any resistance be given
to those guards so to be sent by the commanding
officer's orders, it is desired and ordered that such
persons so giving resistance, shall be liable to be put
to death by the guards, who are to bear a commission
for that purpose ; and all such persons so to be found
loitering and delaying at home, when brought in by the
guards, shall be tried by a court-martial, appointed
and chosen from amongst the commanders of all the

1 Taylor, p. 71.

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 135

different corps, and not to depart therefrom under
pain of death, unless authorised to quit by written
orders from the Commander-in-chief for that pur-
pose. 1

" It is also ordered, that a guard shall be kept at the
rear of the different armies, with orders to shoot all
persons who shall fly or desert from any engagement ;
and these orders to be taken notice of by all officers
commanding in such engagements.

" All men refusing to obey their superior officers,
to be tried by a court-martial, and punished according
to their sentence.

" It is also ordered, that all men who shall attempt
to leave their respective quarters when they have been
halted by the Commander-in-chief, shall suffer death,
unless they shall have leave from their officers for so
doing.

" It is also ordered by the Commander-in-chief, that
all persons who shall have stolen or taken away any
horses, shall immediately bring in such horses to the
camp at head-quarters ; otherwise, any horse that
shall be seen or found in the possession of any person
to whom he does not belong, shall, on being convicted
thereof suffer death ; 2 and any person or persons, who
shall take upon them to kill or murder any person or

1 Maxwell gives a slightly different version of this paragraph,
as follows : " Resolved, that all officers shall immediately repair to
their respective quarters, and remain with their different corps,
and not ^depart therefrom under pain of death, unless authorized
to quit by written orders from the Commander-in-chief for that
purpose" (p. 126 n.).

a " Rather the thief was to have been put to death." Note by
Taylor, p. 72.

136 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

persons, 1 burn any house, or commit any plunder,
without special written orders from the Commander-in-
chief, shall suffer death.

" By order of

" B. B. HARVEY, Commander-in-chief.

" FRANCIS BRIEN, Sec. & Adjt." 2

" Head-Quarters, Carrickbyrne Camp,
" June 6th, 1798."

Harvey is to be commended for his humanity, but it
cost him his position, which he probably did not regret.
So great was the outcry against him that he was
practically forced to resign his command on the 7th
June in favour of Father Philip Roche, an Anak of a
man, with iron nerve and indomitable resolution. Not
that the former was deficient in personal courage by
any means, but his easy-going nature was not a quality
to stand him in good stead with a mob unused to
warfare, and not particularly keen on obeying orders.
" There is no restraining them," Harvey writes
pathetically to a Mr. Glascott two days later, and no
man ever penned truer words. 3

The insurgents again made their way back to
Carrickbyrne, but on the 7th June they posted them-
selves on Slyeeve-Keelter, some distance further away
from New Ross. With the idea of securing the river
and thus having access by water with their comrades
of the counties of Wexford, Waterford, and Kilkenny,

1 " Person or prisoner." See Maxwell, p. 126 n.

2 Taylor, pp. 71-73. The name should read Breen.

3 Ibid., p. 76.

THE CAPTURE OF GOREY 137

they kept up a constant fire on the small gunboats
which were sent to destroy the shipping so that it
should not fall into the hands of the insurgents. On
one occasion a gunboat ran aground, and a desperate
conflict ensued between the Irishmen and the crew.
Fortunately several other gunboats came up and
effectually towed the vessel off. Four of her crew were
killed and several wounded. Roche and his men
remained on Slyeeve-Keelter until the loth inst, when,
after arranging for a guard to remain, the majority of
them marched to Lacken Hill, within two miles of the
ill-fated town. Here we must leave them making
preparations for another assault, which they hoped
would be the prelude to their marching on Waterford,
ten miles distant.

CHAPTER VI

VINEGAR HILL

" I thought of the battle of Vinegar Hill, but not with interest ;
with sorrow, rather, and contempt ; one of the ten times ten
thousand futile, fruitless battles this brawling, unreasonable
people has fought ; the saddest of distinctions to them among
peoples." CARLYLE.

f "^HE hopes of opening a communication with

their confederates of Wicklow and Kildare

I having been dissipated by the loyalist

army at Arklow, the main army of the

rebels retreated to Gorey Hill, anxiously awaiting for

" something to turn up " in the shape of their French

allies. 1 Here they remained until the i2th June, when

they pushed on to Limerick Hill, to the north of

Gorey.

" JUNE ii. A Court Martial for the trial of Rebel
Prisoners called sit, and three men receive sentence
to be executed, which took place in an hour after the
passing of sentence. A Serjeant and 12 [men] of
Camolin Cavalry ordered to patrole from u 'till 6
o'clock, from hence to Coolgreeny and back. Saw
nothing particular, but from the unpleasant smell,

1 Gordon, p. 135.
138

VINEGAR HILL 139

must conclude there were numbers of the Rebels lying
dead in the fields. Brought in Ignatius Redmond
of Coolgreny, Innkeeper, a Prisoner. Commanding
Officers of Yeomanry to give in Returns of the strength
of their respective Corps at to-morrow morning's
Parade.

" June 12.

" Return of Camolin Yeomanry Cavalry, June 12.

Cap. Lieut. Serj. Corp. Trum. R & F Horses

i i 4 4 i 56 68

" Tho 8 Nesbit, Perm. S.

" Return of Loyal Mount-Norris Rangers, June 12.

Cap. Lieut. Serj. Corp. Drum. R & F. Att d Serv 13
II2204043

" E. Dockrill, Sergt.

" Two file from each Yeoman Corps of Cavalry on a
patrole towards Tarah hill and Castletown ; got pro-
perty of the late Captain Knox x in a Cabbin near the
latter place, and brought the Woman of the House
and her daughter in Prisoners, both of whom proved
to be in the household of the Captain before the
Rebellion. After a little Chastisement, they were
ordered by Gen. Needham to be discharged. Ignatius
Redmond of Coolgreny, brought in a Prisoner by the
Patrole of yesterday, released, and a file of Yeomen
ordered to put him past the out-posts.

" June 13. A Private of the Ballakeen Yeoman

1 Captain Thomas Knox Grogan.

140 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Cavalry who was taken prisoner by the Rebels near
Gorey on the 4 th June, came in this day with a Flag
of Truce from the Rebels. Taken into custody, put on
trial, sentenced to be executed to-morrow at 6 o'clock.
Orderly Serjeants to attend at M r Cainac's beyond
the Bridge, where the General and other Officers are
to dine at 4 o'clock. Two Yeoman Subalterns taken
into Custody on a Treasonable Charge, two file from
each detatchment of Dragoons and Yeoman Cavalry
ordered to escort them to Wicklow. Captain Col-
clough of the Cavan Regiment ordered to accompany
them in the Carriage to Dublin Castle.

" June 14. Ballakeen Yeoman pardoned, but de-
tained a Prisoner. All returns of Yeomanry to be in
future made to Charles Underwood, Esq. Brigade
Major. Four file from Dragoons and Yeoman Cavalry
to assist Commissary Ashe in bringing in Forrage
for the use of the Military Horses, the Servants and
followers of all Yeoman Officers to attend, or else the
Rations they have been receiving will be withheld.
Reconnotreing parties ordered on the different Avenues
leading to the town. Two file from each Yeoman
Cavalry to escort four prisoners to Wicklow.

" June 15. A large party of Cavalry, consisting of
detatchments of the fifth Dragoons, Antient British
Dragoons, Camolin, and Arklow Yeomanry, ordered
on a Reconnotreing party towards the Gold Mine,
and from thence to the village of Aughrim perceived
the country quite destitute of inhabitants, and sup-
posed them to have joined the main body of the Rebels.
At Aughrim the Patrole was informed that a Rebel

VINEGAR HILL 141

Camp was formed at Mount Pleasant, 1 a few miles
distant, and that another Camp was formed at Bally-
manus, not far from the village. Returned to Arklow
by Clone, Ballycogne, and near the Copper Mine
Rocks, arrived in town about 4 o'clock. A file from
each of the Yeomanry Dragoons, with prisoners to
Wicklow, to be forwarded from thence to the Guard
Vessel lying at the Pidgeon House in Dublin Bay.
" June 16. Intelligence was this morning brought
into town that M r Coates's house near Aughrim was

1 According to Miles Byrne (Vol. I., p. 113), who accompanied
this section of the rebel army, it was not until the i6th that an
encampment was formed on Mount Pleasant, near Tinnehely,
Co. Wicklow, by some of the insurgents who had been stationed
previously on Limerick Hill. He mentions some skirmishing on the
1 5th in which several loyalist soldiers were taken prisoners. It was
at Mount Pleasant that the chiefs received newspapers a month old
announcing that Napoleon Bonaparte had been appointed Com-
mander-in-Chief of the Army of England, ostensibly destined to
invade that country and Ireland. In reality the flower of the
troops was at that moment on the high seas, but sailing towards
the East. The intelligence caused consternation and difference of
opinion. Tinnehely was taken by the insurgents on the i7th
with considerable bloodshed, but the rebel army, which had now
made Garret Byrne its commander, retreated on the igth to Kil-
caven Hill, two miles from Carnew. The timely arrival of rein-
forcements under Lieutenant-General Dundas at Hacketstown en-
couraged the loyalist troops to attempt an attack on Kilcaven,
especially as Loftus also came up with them, but after some fighting.
Lake, who was in supreme command, thought it advisable to retire
to Carnew. On the night of the 2oth Garret Byrne and his men set
out for Vinegar Hill, which was reached the following evening.
Here a general concentration was taking place, owing to the failure
at Ross, the rebels there falling back on Wexford. Those who had
remained on Gorey Hill retired to Corrigrua, and from thence to
Vinegar Hill (see post, p. 148 n.), Major-General Needham then being
on the way to attack them, but a few went to Ask Hill, as noted
below.

142 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

last night burned by the Rebels. Yeomanry received
orders to be ready for an inspection at 12 o'clock.
Inspection took place by Brigade Major Underwood.
The following was ordered to be filed :

" ' General Orders. Arklow, June 16, 1798.

" ' Complaints having been made to Major General
Needham that the Patroling parties of Dragoons and
Yeoman Cavalry have hitherto conducted themselves
in a manner inconsistent with their duty as Soldiers,
he assures them that if complaints of the like nature
are advanced against them in future, they shall be
punished in a most examplary manner.

" CHARLES UNDERWOOD, Brigade Major.

" After inspection patroles sent out to Reconnoitre,
&c. Two Rebels tried by Court Martial, and im-
mediately executed. A Serjeant and 12 [file] from
each detatchment of Cavalry, to patrole from 9 o'clock,
'till relieved by another party from Morning Parade.
Report The Patrole of the Rock Road could perceive
a very large fire on the Hill of Ask, 1 near Gorey, which
they supposed was lighted by the Rebels."

1 " This post," says Gordon, " had been so thinned by per-
petual desertions, that not more than about a hundred men fit for
action were then remaining in it, and these without a leader. . . .
About half of the rebel warriors fled with precipitation at the ap-
proach of the cavalry ; while the rest of them, stripping to their
shirts, that they might be more expedite for the business, ran full
speed to charge the cavalry with their pikes : but the latter avoided
the attack, and retreated to Arklow with expedition. Immediately
after this the country about Gorey was completely evacuated by the
rebels, to the no small joy of many loyalist families, who, by the
sudden and unexpected victory over Walpole, had been prevented
from escaping, and on whom the enemy had been living at free
quarter." Gordon, pp. 137-138.

VINEGAR HILL 143

General Lake had now perfected the plan by means
of which he hoped to deal a crushing blow to the rebel
cause. The following instructions issued by him
on the i6th June are so concise, and show the position
in a nut-shell, that further comment is unnecessary :

" General Dundas will be directed to move on the
seventeenth to Hacketstown, and to issue his orders
to General Loftus at Tullow, to unite his force with
him on the eighteenth at Carnew.

" General Needham, to move at three o'clock, a.m.
on the nineteenth to Gorey ; General Dundas having
sent a strong patrol under General Loftus from Carnew,
at six o'clock on the same morning to Grove's Bridge,
four or five miles on the road to Gorey, to support
General Needham, in case he should meet with resist-
ance at Limerick Hill or at Gorey, and to communicate
to General Dundas General Needham's situation.

" General Johnson, on the nineteenth, at four o'clock,
a.m. to move to Old Ross, and unite with General
Moore 1 in driving the rebels from Carrickbyrne Hill.
He will take up his position that day near Old Ross,
and send a strong patrol to scour the country towards
the Black-stair mountains, in junction with Sir James
Duff. 2 This movement will require a very particularly
concerted arrangement between General Johnson and

1 Major-General Sir John Moore (1761-1809). The hero of
Corunna, in which battle he received his death-wound, the i6th
January, 1809. Moore rendered valuable service a few years after
the Rebellion as commander of Shorncliffe camp, where he trained
the light infantry regiments which became so famous in the Pen-
insular War.

2 Major-General Sir James Duff (1752-1839). M.P. for Banff
1784-1789.

144 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Sir James Duff. The patrols to return to their
respective corps on the same day.

" Sir Charles Asgill, on the eighteenth, will occupy
Grove's Bridge, Borris and Graignamanagh, and will
remain in those positions until the twentieth, three p.m.
when he will return, unless he shall receive orders to the
contrary.

" Lieutenant-general Dundas, on the twentieth, will
march to Ballycarney Bridge, keeping the east side
of the Slaney to Scarawalsh Bridge, to arrive there at
twelve at noon.

" Sir James Duff will also move on the twentieth,
by the road on the west side of the Slaney to Scara-
walsh Bridge, where he will arrive at twelve o'clock.

" General Needham, on the twentieth, will move
from Gorey to Oulart, to be there at twelve o'clock.

" General Loftus. The corps from Grove's Bridge,
will move on the twentieth, through Camolin and Ferns,
and unite with General Dundas at Scarawalsh Bridge,
at twelve o'clock.

" General Moore, to land on the eighteenth at Bally-
hack Ferry, and on the nineteenth, he will move at
three o'clock, a.m. to Foulkes's Mill, and unite with
General Johnson in driving the rebels from Carrick-
byrne Hill. He will take up his position that night
at Foulkes's Mill, securing the escape of the rebels
between that and Clonmines.

" General Johnson, on the twentieth, will move with
his column to Ballymacus Bridge, either to unite in the
attack on Enniscorthy, if necessary, or prevent their
escape in that direction.

VINEGAR HILL 145

" Should the rebels have evacuated Enniscorthy and
Vinegar Hill, the columns under General Dundas and
Sir James Duff will take up their position that day
in front of Enniscorthy ; and General Johnson will
at the same time receive orders to take a position on
the great road from Enniscorthy to Taghmon.

" General Moore, in this case, on the twentieth, will
move from Foulkes's Mill, and take post at Taghmon,
still securing the country between Taghmon and
Clonmines.

" But should the enemy maintain their position at
Enniscorthy, the attack will be made on the twenty-
first at day-light, by the columns under General
Dundas and Sir James Duff, and General Needham
moving from Oulart.

' The general forward movement and investment
of Wexford will take place on the twenty-first, when
the several columns will be so united as to receive
directions as circumstances may point out.

" Gun-boats. Orders are to be sent to the naval
commanders to station their gun-boats and armed
vessels in Wexford harbour early in the morning
of the twenty-first, to co-operate in such manner as
may be necessary for the attack of the town, with the
gun-boats from Waterford, which will be directed
to support General Moore and the corps at Clonmines
on the nineteenth." 1

" June 17. A Serjeant and 6 file from each detatch-
ment of Dragoons and Yeoman Cavalry, with Subal-

1 Musgrave, pp. 473-474.

146 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

terns, to patrole thro' Coolgreny and on towards Ask
Hill, to learn what was the nature of the fire the
Rock Patrole perceived there last night. On the
advance of the Patrole a number of the Rebels on the
Hill fled towards Gorey for the purpose (as they sup-
posed) of giving intelligence to their associates, whilst
another party advanced [on] the Patrole for the purpose
of attacking them. The Patrole retreated to Arklow
with expedition and reported. The same Patrole,
each carrying an Infantry Man, again advanced to-
wards the Hill, but by the help of Glasses, could
perceive that the Rebels had totally evacuated it.
Marched back again to Arklow.

" June 18. Two file from each detatchment of
Yeoman Cavalry ordered to assist the Commissary
in bringing in Forrage for the Military Horses. The
following was ordered to be filed :

" ' General Orders. Arklow. June 18, 1798.

" ' Major General Needham directs that the Officers
commanding Yeomanry Corps may pay particular
attention to have the daily Orders fully read and
explained at parade every evening to their Men,
and that to such Men as may happen to be absent
the Officers will be responsible for their being com-
municated at the first opportunity.

" ' CHARLES UNDERWOOD, B.M.'

" At half past three the following Orders were
issued :

" ' Gen : Orders, Arklow, June 18, 1798 3 o'clock,
P.M.

VINEGAR HILL 147

" ' The Commanders of Yeomanry are to send a proper
Officer immediately to the Commissary to settle their
Regimental Accounts. They are also to attend with a
non-Commissioned Officer and 6 privates to receive
from the Commissary's Stores a sufficient quantity of
Camp Equipage, and every other necessary for an
immediate March. The Garrison to move towards
Gorey to-morrow morning at 4 o'clock.

" ' C. UNDERWOOD, B. Major.

" ' Garrison to parade, and be compleatly equiped for
Marching, at 3 o'clock tomorrow morning. No
Cavalry Patrole this night, but Infantry to mount
double Sentrys. ' l

" June 19. At two o'clock this morning the Drums
and Bugles sounded for a General Parade, and at
3 o'clock the entire Garrison appeared under arms,
and compleatly ready for a march. At 4 the following
Troops under the Command of Major Gen. Needham,
(Cavan Battallion, Defeated Army at Tubberneering,
Durham Fencible Infantry, one Company excepted),
the detatchments of 5 th g th and Antient British
Dragoons, and an Officer and 10 file from each Yeoman
Cavalry Corps, marched on their route to Gorey, taking
with them the Ballakeen Yeoman as a Prisoner, and
leaving the above Company of Durham Fencibles,
Arklow Yeoman Infantry, the Loyal Mount Norris
Yeoman Infantry, together with the remaining part
of the Gorey, Coolgreny, Castletown, Camolin, and

1 According to Musgrave (p. 475) the rebels on Limerick Hill
left for Kilcaven Hill on the i8th.

148 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

North and South Yeoman Cavalry, to garrison the
town, all to be under the command of Captain Holmes
of the Durham Fencibles. Ordered ' that all Ex-
presses to the Army on their march, and when they
arrive at their destined place, must remain with their
respective troops unless ordered to the contrary.' At
9 o'clock, a Serjeant and 6 file of North Arklow Yeoman
Cavalry, as an escort with Lord Wicklow 'till he joins
the Marching Army, the escort to return. At 10
o'clock, i file of Camolin Cavalry with dispatches for
Gen. Needham, not to return except by Orders. At
12, two file of Gorey Cavalry with dispatches for Gen.
Needham ; and at 3 o'clock 2 file of Coolgreny Cavalry
with other dispatches for Lieut. Gen. Lake and General
Needham, not to return except by Orders. From
the weak state of the town, it was judged necessary
to have constant patroles, and those patroles to consist
of two file each, to patrole no further than one mile from
any entrance to the town, and to act with as much
caution and regularity as possible. 1

" June 20. The 2 file of Gorey Cavalry who were
dispatched express to General Needham yesterday,
returned this morning with Orders to Cap. Holmes 2
and directions to Lieut. Gordon and his party of Gorey
Cavalry to march immediately for Gorey, where, on
their arrival, they would find an Officer to command,
and a force with which they were to unite. Gorey

' * On the approach of the army the rebels remaining on Gorey
Hill at once abandoned their camp and made for Corrigrua, where
the night was spent. The 2ist saw them at Vinegar Hill (see
Taylor, p. 115, and ante, p. 141 n.).
8 Of the Durham regiment.

VINEGAR HILL 149

Cavalry marched for Gorey at n o'clock. 1 Patroles
sent out on Reconnoitreing parties returned safely.
Two file of Wicklow Cavalry brought dispatches for
Gen. Needham, which was instantly forwarded by one
file from each Yeoman Corps of Cavalry. One file
of Gorey Cavalry brought in dispatches from Gen.
Needham, which was forwarded to Rathdrum by
2 file of Castletown Cavalry."

In order that our picture may be complete we must
fill in the details of the rebels under Philip Roche,
whom we left at Lacken Hill. 2 On the I2th June a
division attacked the little town of Borris, Co. Carlow.
There it was repulsed by men of the Donegal
Militia and the Borris Yeomanry under Walter
Kavanagh, Esq., after having done considerable
mischief, and driven back to Lacken Hill. Roche
applied to Wexford for reinforcements, and did not
receive them, an equivocal reply being returned :

" Dear Citizen, " June l6th '

" We shall at all times be anxious to comply
with your wishes ; we have before us a message from
Citizen Hughes, expressing your wish to have all the

1 On their arrival the seventeen men found no military in the
town, and Hay (p. 248) asserts that they then " scoured the country
round, and killed great numbers in their houses, besides all the
stragglers they met, most of whom were making the best of then-
way home unarmed from the insurgents, who were then believed
to be totally discomfited." Gordon (p. 156) says that about fifty
were killed. We shall see in trie following chapter how dearly the
yeomen paid for their intrepidity.

8 See ante, p. 137.

150 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

men in Forth and Bargy in your camp : taking that
demand in its full extent, we cannot comply with it,
there are many reasons against it ; for instance, the
protection of the coast, provisions, &c. We have,
however, now issued orders, desiring all unmarried
men to repair to camp immediately : we did so before,
but they were not fully obeyed : at the present time
particular obedience will be enforced, and we trust
you will shortly find at your camp a number of fresh
young fellows, as well appointed and provided as our
best efforts can accomplish ; and we trust you will
find in them the means of gratifying your wishes on
the subject. We wish you every success in our glorious
cause.

" Health and fraternity.

" By order of the Council,

" NICHOLAS GRAY, Sec. 1
" Council Chamber, W ex ford.

" P.S. The appearance of the armed vessels off our
coast, will enforce the necessity of keeping the married
men at home, until a fresh occasion calls upon them."

The loyalist garrison at Ross having been con-
siderably strengthened in the interim, it was decided
to attack the insurgents on the morning of the iQth
June. At first it looked as if the latter would make
a desperate resistance, but on arriving at the hill the
troops were astonished to see them run away. The
rebels placed their hats on their pikes, so that at a
distance it appeared as if there were more men than

1 Taylor, pp. uo-iii.

VINEGAR HILL 151

was actually the case, 1 banners were displayed, and all
the make-believe pomp and circumstance of war
resorted to. A shout was raised, which was thought
by the loyalists to herald a charge, and caused them
to halt. In the confusion which followed the rebels
made good their retreat, dividing into two parties, the
smaller making for Vinegar Hill, and the larger, under
Father Philip Roche, marching to the Three Rocks.
Some of Roche's men afterwards entered Wexford.

Moore, who had arrived at Ross on the morning of
the 1 8th, notes in his diary that " Everything here
was in confusion. It was with difficulty that I could
get an idea of the part I was to act in the different
attacks. I at last found that I was to lead the right
column of three that were to march out. The march
was ordered for 2 A.M., but from rain it was necessarily
postponed till 6 A.M. I had the 6oth Yagers, 900
Light Infantry, 50 Hompesch Cavalry, and six pieces
of artillery. The rebels were posted on a hill about a
mile and a half from Ross. We saw them plainly
drawn up, I thought with the intention of fighting us.
The road I marched by led directly on the left of their
position ; they allowed me to come within cannon shot,
and then retreated. General Johnstone, with the
centres was moving at the same moment to attack
them in front. The Yagers in the pursuit killed sixty
or seventy of them. 2 I joined General Johnstone at
Old Ross ; he proceeded with me to Carrickburn,

1 History of the Insurrection of 1798. By T. Clooney, p. 73.
8 Hay (p. 201) asserts that the rebels " effected a good retreat
to the Three Rocks, without the loss of a man."

152

which we found evacuated. The Major-General then
returned to Ross, leaving me orders to proceed to
Fookes Mill, where he said I should be joined by the
Queen's and the 24th, which had landed from England
at Duncannon. I took post that evening at the house
and park of a Mr. Sutton. 1 The country through
which we had passed was rich and beautiful, but
perfectly deserted. The soldiers, contrary to all orders,
quitted their divisions and set fire to many houses. It
was shocking to see a fine cultivated country deserted
of its inhabitants and in flames. I have prevented
this from happening since then, and our last marches
have been conducted with regularity." 2

On the 20th the defeated Irish army, reinforced by
the majority of the rebels from the town of Wexford
and some from Vinegar Hill, marched from the Three
Rocks to Goff's Bridge, intending to regain possession
of New Ross. 3 Moore came up with them on his way
to Taghmon, 4 as arranged by Lake, the troops from
Duncannon who were to join him having failed to
arrive. The battle lasted four hours and a half,
and for a time it seemed as if the loyalist force could
not withstand the renewed attacks of the enemy,
whose powers of endurance are to be admired, for it
must be remembered that they had spent little or no
time in refreshing themselves after the adventures
of the previous day. Unable to get to the enemy at

1 At Longraige.

a Diary of Sir John Moore, Vol. I., pp. 295-296.

3 Musgrave, p. 484.

4 About seven miles from Wexford.

MAJOR-GENERAL SIR JOHN MOORE

From a contemporary proof engraving in the collection of
Mr. A. M. Broadley

VINEGAR HILL 153

close quarters, Roche had been obliged to fall back
on those of his men who carried firearms, his artillery
consisting of half a dozen guns which had been taken
from a ship in Wexford harbour. 1 Eventually, they
were compelled to give in, and retired once more to the
Three Rocks. Had not Moore, for whom the most
partisan historians of the rebel cause have a good word
to say, 2 personally rallied his troops and led a charge
when they were all but disheartened, the honours of
the day would have remained with the insurgents. He
admits that the action " was for a short time pretty
sharp. The rebels were in great numbers, and armed
with both muskets and pikes. They were, however,
forced to give way, and driven, though they repeatedly
attempted to form behind the ditches. They at
last dispersed, flying towards Enniscorthy and Wex-
ford. Their killed could not be ascertained, as they
lay scattered in the fields over a considerable extent ;
but they seemed to be numerous. . . The troops
behaved with great spirit. The artillery, and Hom-
pesch's cavalry, were active, and seemed only to regret

1 Teeling, p. 258. In a footnote (p. 113) Taylor says that
" General Moore in his official account of the action, mentions the
rebel army to be about five or six thousand ; but General Priest
Roche told the General, when the former was a prisoner in Wexford,
that they were more than eighteen thousand in number, which was
afterwards found to be nearly correct."

2 See especially Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 116. Teeling speaks
of " the manly virtue displayed by the humane and gallant General
Moore. While he discharged with fidelity the trust reposed in him
by the crown, he was not insensible to the protection which he
owed to the subject ; and abhorring the system of plunder and
outrage, so subversive of discipline and order, he inflicted exemplary
punishment on some of the offenders " (p. 255).

154 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

that the country did not admit of their rendering more
effectual service. Major Daniel is the only officer
whose wound is bad ; it is through the knee, but not
dangerous.

" The business, which began between three and
four, was not over till near eight ; it was then too late
to proceed to Taghmon. I took post for the night
on the ground where the action had commenced. As
the rebels gave way, I was informed of the approach
of the second and twenty-ninth regiments under Lord
Dalhousie. In the morning of the twenty-first we were
proceeding to Taghmon, when I was met by an officer
of the North Cork from Wexford, with the inclosed
letters. I gave, of course, no answer to the proposal
made by the inhabitants of Wexford, but I thought it
my duty immediately to proceed here, and to take
post above the town, by which means I have, perhaps,
saved the town itself from fire, as well as the lives of
many loyal subjects who were prisoners in the hands
of the rebels. The rebels fled upon my approach, over
the bridge of Wexford, and towards the barony of
Forth. I shall wait here your further orders. Lord
Kingsborough 1 has informed me of different engage-

1 George King (1771-1839), Viscount Kingsborough and third
Earl of Kingston ; succeeded to the Earldom, April 1799. He was
taken prisoner by the rebels when attempting to rejoin his regiment,
the North Cork Militia, at Wexford. In making his passage by
water in company with Captain O'Hea and Lieutenant Bourke,
their little boat was forced to surrender to a larger vessel manned
by rebels. Such a man was a useful hostage, and the insurgents
apparently thought that he could make terms with Government,
or at least with any of the loyalist generals, on their behalf should
it be necessary. On the morning of the 2ist June it was decided

VINEGAR HILL 155

ments he had entered into with respect to the in-
habitants ; I have declined entering into the subject,
but have referred his lordship to you or General Lake.

" I received your pencilled note during the action
of the twentieth ; it was impossible for me to detach the
troops you asked for, but I hear you have perfectly
succeeded at Enniscorthy with those you had. Mr.
Roche, who commands the rebels, is encamped, I hear,
about five miles off ; he sent Lord Kingsborough to
surrender upon terms. Your presence speedily is
upon every account extremely necessary." J

Acting according to the directions issued by Lake
on the i6th June, to which reference has already been
made, the various divisions of the army were gradually
closing round the retreat of the rebels at Vinegar Hill
and Enniscorthy. Generals Needham and Moore
were alone prevented from taking their intended
positions. Late on the evening of the 2oth the former,
when in bivouac at Oulart Hill, received orders from

that Lord Kingsborough should inform the commanders of the
King's troops " That the town of Wexford had surrendered to
him, and in consequence of the behaviour of those in the town
during the rebellion, they should all be protected in person and
property, murderers excepted, and those who had instigated others
to commit murder, hoping these terms might be ratified, as he had
pledged his honour in the most solemn manner to have these terms
fulfilled on the town being surrendered to him, the Wexford men not
being concerned in the massacre, which was perpetrated by country
people in their absence" (See Hay, pp. 231-232). Deputations
were sent to each of the armies now rapidly approaching. Captain
McManus and Hay went to Sir James Duff, Captain O'Hea and
Thomas Cloney to Lake, and Lieutenant Bourke and Robert Carty
to Moore. (See also post, p. 190.)

1 Camp above Wexford, 22nd June, 1798. Musgrave, Appendix
XXI., pp. 156-7.

156 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Lake to join him at his head-quarters at Solsborough,
two miles above Enniscorthy, where Dundas and Lof tus
had already converged. The tedious and difficult
march was begun, and in the early hours of the morning
of the 2ist, Needham reported himself, only to be
handed further instructions requiring him to take up
a position some miles further on. He requested Lake
to delay the general advance for a short time to allow
him to reach the post assigned to him on the Wexford
side of the hill. This the Commander-in-Chief was
unable to do, and although Needham advanced his
cavalry, the loophole thus left afforded the rebels a
way of escape, and precluded the crushing defeat they
would have otherwise sustained. This opening was
afterwards nicknamed Needham's Gap, and the
officer referred to as " the late General Needham."
He was censured for his conduct, but it is difficult to
deliver judgment, although Froude lends his ear to a
whisper that went round to the effect that the delay
was intentional, and due to motives of humanity.
" If this was the reason, it was misplaced leniency,"
adds the eminent historian and biographer. 1 It is not
well to put too much faith in Dame Rumour, who is a
lying jade nine times out of ten, and a consensus of
opinion would make it appear that the general was
both too cautious and too slow. Perhaps Needham
resembled Villeneuve, who was dogged by the spectre
of Nelson. The general may have imagined that every
bush concealed Father John. That he pushed his
cavalry forward is certainly in his favour. Had he

1 Froude, Vol. III., p. 502.

VINEGAR HILL 157

conscientiously wished to restrain bloodshed he would
surely not have done so.

The battle of Vinegar Hill has already been described
by competent writers ad nauseam, and detailed
reference to it is unnecessary. Suffice to say that the
rebels made a good stand for an hour and a half, and
when it became obvious that " the game was up," fled
down the southern side of the hill, the only way of
escape left open to them. They were able to effect a
fairly orderly retreat to the Three Rocks, partly owing
to the arrival of Edward Roche, who came up with a
reinforcement of some 5,000 men, and engaged the
cavalry which was attempting to follow. The latter
cut down a considerable number, however, and it is
probable that the insurgents lost more men in the
retreat than during the actual fight. An urgent
message had been sent to Edward Roche to bring his
forces to the assistance of those who were fiercely
combating the loyalist army, but it was a consider-
able time before he could marshal them, so great
was the commotion in the town. This explains why
he did not come up until the engagement was over and
sauve qui pent was the order of the day. While the
rebels were falling back they sustained a severe blow
by the death of Father Clinch of Enniscorthy. Like
the majority of the priest-generals, he was a large man,
and particularly conspicuous because he rode a white
horse. The Earl of Roden 1 coming up with him, shots
were exchanged, the former being wounded in the neck.

1 Robert, second Earl of Roden (1756-1820). M.P. for Dundalk
1790-1797.

158 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

After Clinch had fired a second time an officer of his
lordship's regiment dispatched this sanguinary repre-
sentative of Holy Church.

From the Three Rocks the majority of the rebels
poured into Wexford. " And here," writes Miles
Byrne, " our two armies that had separated on the
3ist of May at the Windmill Hill, near the town, then
flushed with victory, one to go northwards to attack
Gorey and Arklow, the other to go to take New Ross,
met again, but unfortunately under very different
circumstances, they being now completely dismayed
and disheartened after our recent defeats ; and it is
grievous to think that our generals did not seem to
have any preconcerted plan of action in the event of
such disasters as we were now experiencing. This
was the critical moment, when leaders should have
shown that energy of character which would inspire
their followers with enthusiasm and confidence." l
At length the disorderly rabble was prevailed upon to
leave Wexford, although some remained behind in
anticipation of a favourable reply to the messages
which had been sent to the English generals. One
division, estimated at 5,000 or 6,000 men, 2 with
Fathers John Murphy and Philip Roche, encamped at
Sledagh; the other, under Edward Fitzgerald, Garret
Byrne, Anthony Perry, Esmond Kyan, and Edward
Roche, marched so far as Peppard's Castle, on the
road to Gorey and some ten or twelve miles from the
town of Wexford, before halting for the night.

1 Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 134.

2 Ibid., Vol. I., p. 153.

VINEGAR HILL 159

On nearing the camp at the Three Rocks on the 2ist
General Moore dispatched an advance guard, but the
rebels at once dispersed. " Upon our approach to
the town [of Wexford]," he notes, " we saw crowds
of people running in all directions out of it. A house
on fire made me suspect the rebels meant to burn the
town, and perhaps the prisoners in their possession.
I therefore advanced and took post close to it, and sent
Lord Dalhousie with two hundred men into it, with
orders to release the prisoners and leave such a force
in the town as would ensure tranquillity and protect
the well-affected. The moment I had settled the
different regiments I went in myself, and witnessed
the most affecting scenes : fathers meeting their
children, wives, &c., whom they thought to have
perished. Many of the gentlemen, whose families
were prisoners in the town, had attended me as guides
and yeomen. Forty prisoners had been shot and piked
the day before, and it was intended to have shot the
rest that evening if I had not come on. They amounted
to some hundred persons, of the best rank in the
county. I, therefore, had the good fortune to perform
one of the most pleasing services that could fall to the lot
of an officer. In the morning [22nd] I wrote a report
of the whole of my transactions to Major-General
Johnstone, and ordered the troops to move to a position
half a mile in the rear, as the position I was in was bad.
Just as I had taken it General Johnstone, and after-
wards General Lake, arrived with their different
columns from Enniscorthy, where the day before they
had jointly attacked the rebels on Vinegar Hill. They

160 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

had beaten and dispersed them with little loss, but
killed a great many of the rebels. Our different
columns are now all encamped round the town.
. . . General Roche (a priest), who fought against
me, and several other leaders, have been taken by
the soldiers since we have been here ; they have
all been tried, or are being tried, by courts-martial.
Yesterday a gentleman having 8,000 a year was
arrested." 1

An even more stirring picture has been given to us
by Sir Jonah Barrington. " A short time after the
capture of Wexford," he relates, " I traversed that
county to see the ruins which had been occasioned by
warfare. Enniscorthy had been twice stormed, and
was dilapidated and nearly burned. New Ross shewed
most melancholy relics of the obstinate and bloody
battle of full ten hours' duration, which had been
fought in every street of it. The numerous pits
crammed with dead bodies, on Vinegar Hill, seemed
on some spots actually elastic as we stood upon them ;
whilst the walls of an old windmill on its summit
appeared stained and splashed with the blood and
brains of many victims who had been piked or shot
against it by the rebels. The court house of Ennis-
corthy, wherein our troops had burned alive above
eighty of the wounded rebels, and the barn of Sculla-
bogue, where the rebels had retaliated by burning alive
above one hundred and twenty Protestants, were
terrific ruins ! The town of Gorey was utterly
destroyed, not a house being left perfect ; and the

1 Diary of Sir John Moore, Vol. I., p. 299.

THE VINEGAR HII.I, STATUE, WEXFORI)
Copyright G.ll'.K.

VINEGAR HILL 161

bodies of the killed were lying half covered in sundry
ditches in its vicinity." 1

" June 21. All Yeoman Cavalry who had not any
particular Duty to attend to were ordered out on
Reconnoitreing parties. At 5 this evening an express
arrived from Gorey with the pleasing intelligence that
the Rebel Camp upon Vinegar Hill was attacked this
morning at 7 o'clock, and carried in about an hour and
[a] half. Yeoman from the neighbourhood of Gorey
obtained leave from the Commanding Officer to
Reconnoitre towards their own neighbourhood, but
to return the Patrole to march from hence at 6 o'clock,
tomorrow, and to act with caution."

Ceasing to be less concentrated, the insurrection
entered upon a more troublesome phase. A heath
fire which is localised is easier to extinguish than a
number of smaller fires scattered over the common,
and the detached parties which roamed in Wexford,
Wicklow, and the midland counties, 2 apparently having
no more worthy object than spreading desolation
wherever they went and hoping against hope that
la belle France would fulfil her promises, became at once
the terror of the country-side and a constant source
of worry at Dublin Castle. Predatory civil warfare
is warfare at its worst.

1 Personal Sketches and Recollections of His Own Times. By
Sir Jonah Barrington, Judge of the High Court of Admiralty in
Ireland, p. 146.

2 Froude, Vol. III., p. 527.

CHAPTER VII

A THREE WEEKS' TERROR : MRS. BROWNRIGG'S
JOURNAL AT WEXFORD, 26ra MAY-2isx JUNE

... a reckless humour, ignoring of the inevitable, which I saw
often enough in Ireland. CARLYLE.

BRIEF reference has been made previously
to the evacuation of the town of Wexford
by the loyalist troops, its occupation by
the rebels, and its subsequent relief. The
following is a more human document. Written
apparently for the benefit of her children, Mrs. Brown-
rigg has told her story without literary adornment,
and in a particularly forceful way. If it does not
appeal to the intellect, it certainly appeals to the heart,
for there is pathos and to spare in this record of the
wanderings of an unprotected gentlewoman and her
children. It is evident that when Sir Richard Mus-
grave was compiling his monumental Memoirs of the
different Rebellions in Ireland he had access to the
Diary, and he quotes a small portion of it, usually not
verbatim. He refers to the writer as " a very amiable
and respectable lady," and adds a footnote that " Her
name is concealed at her own desire." * The MS. now

1 Musgrave, p. 451.
162

A THREE WEEKS' TERROR 163

appears in its entirety, and no editing has been at-
tempted beyond paragraphing and correcting a few
slips in punctuation. The original spelling is retained.

" Saturday, May the 26th. I was extremely busy
at Greenmound making new cloaths for Henry and
superintending a Walk by the River Side as we were
to have a good many friends to dine on Whitsun
Monday. About four o'clock Mr. Lyster returned
from a ride to Wexford and brought an account of the
alarm that reigned in Dublin, was in great spirits at
what he thought the favourable prospect of affairs
from Government's having full intelligence of all Plans
against them, &c., &c. A Terror such as I never
before experienced seized me, and I was obliged to sit
down on the bank where I had been standing. Mr.

L said everything to dispel my fears, made me go to

the house and take some wine all was in vain, and
the instant dinner was over I walked out to try and
compose my mind. In about two hours I returned to
the house and just at the door met a country girl almost
speechless with terror. With great difficulty she
articulated that a Gentleman had just rode by her
cabin with a drawn Sword and desired that Mr. Lyster
sh d immediately join his Corps at Bellevue. Mrs.
Lyster 's situation then engrossed me entirely. Mr.

L had gone out to walk and we cou'd not find him

for above two hours. He was as ignorant of the cause
of the Message we rec d as we were ourselves, and only
stayed to put on his Uniform and give his Keys to me,
recommending Kate and her five children to my care.

"Such a night as we passed, surrounded I strongly

164 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

suspected, and the event has proved I was right, by
Rebels who came to protect us and who wou'd certainly
have murdered us if they had been sure of the success
of their party. We walked the Court the entire night.
One time we heard a boat on the river, and were certain
a party were coming over to attack us. However,
they went up river. At daylight our Guards departed,
and we remained in anxiety till late in the day, when
the M r Bagleys rode from Wexford to intreat we wou'd
go there, and at the same moment a letter came from
M r Lyster to beg we w d come to Bellevue, where he had
just returned after marching with his Corps 20 miles
without seeing a rebel ; but alas he saw but too many
proofs of their Execrable Barbarity. I was all anxiety
to go directly to Waterford and sail for England, but
M rs L - intreated so earnestly that I wou'd not run
what she thought the only hazard, that I suffered
myself to be persuaded and consented to stay one day

'till I left her with Mr. L or in Wexford. We then

all went by water to Bellevue, where Mr. Ogle's Corps
were assembled, and spent a pleasing and almost
chearful evening. Mr. Ogle knew the Rebels were
approaching towards Enniscorthy, but thought the
Force there fully equal to its defence.

" I must now tell you what I have always heard was
the Progress of the business on Saturday. The rising
began near Oulart, and let those Gentlemen who even
now expatiate on the excesses of the Soldiery and the
oppressed state of the People remember that there
was not a single soldier from Gorey to Wexford, a dis-
tance of 21 miles, that there never had been any there,

A THREE WEEKS' TERROR 165

nor could any possible excuse of that kind be assigned
for what ensued. One of their first steps was to attack
Mr. Burrows' house and to murder him in the presence
of his wife, children and a niece, whom I [have] since
conversed with in Wexford. They also broke into
Mr. D'Arcy's house at Ballynation, [and] offered to
make him a Commander provided he wou'd turn
Catholic. He said, ' No, he had lived a Protestant and
wou'd die one.' He was immediately butchered.
On Sunday the 27th of May, when this account reached
Wexford, 106 of the North Cork Militia, all picked men,
and five officers marched out, and were joined by about
23 of Col. Lehante's 1 Yeomen Cavalry, all the rest
were not to be found. This force marched on a hot day
12 miles, and, on ascending a Hill saw a Valley below
them, and on the opposite Hill the entire Rebel Force.
Two old officers who were in Lehante's Cavalry spoke
to Major Lombard, who had the command given him
by Col. Foote, to hope they shou'd all remain where
they were and wait the approach of the Rebels, as their
Position from many circumstances was highly ad-
vantageous ; but Major Lombard, a brave, spirited
young Man, fearless of danger, resisted their remon-
strances and intreaties and boldly rushed with his
party down the Hill and up half the opposite Hill,
when he halted and made every one of his Soldiers fire.
At once the Rebels, who were running back, saw the
advantage he had given them, and whilst the Soldiers
were reloading, completely surrounded them. Col.
Foote and 4 others only escaped to Lehante's Cavalry,

1 Colonel Le Hunte.

166 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

who got off without the least difficulty as the Rebels
seemed not at all desirous of attacking them. They
retreated to Wexford, from whence expresses were
sent off to Waterford, Ross, &c., &c., requesting
military assistance.

" The Rebel Force increasing every hour, and
plundering and butchering every Protestant that they
thought not absolutely favourable to their cause,
proceeded towards Enniscorthy and attacked it on
Monday morning the 28 th . That day at the first Dawn
I was alarmed at Belleone by loud talking under my
window. I got up, and on listening heard a poor
old Man give an account of the dreadful murders that
had taken place round him. Shortly after an order
came from Wexford that Mr. Ogle and Corps shou'd
march there. All was then confusion except the
Master and Mistress of the house. She made breakfast
for us all with her usual sweetness and composure.
Our boat was got ready, and just before I went to it
I saw from an upper window Enniscorthy in flames.
Mrs. L - and I stopt at Greenmound, took in my
trunks which I had packed on the first alarm and a few
bundles of her own, and proceeded to Wexford.
[During] our entire passage we never saw a living being.
When we landed we found every man under Arms.
My entire object was to get any method of leaving it,
and I walked about incessantly from one Cap 1 of a
Ship to another to induce any one to sail with me to
Milford and cou'd not succeed. Spent a miserable
night on a straw Matress on the floor by M rs Lyster
or wandering about the house.

A THREE WEEKS' TERROR 167

" Next morning, the 2gth, at daylight Mr. J. Grogan
and 12 of his Cavalry marched in at the head of 200
of the Donegal Militia from Duncannon. This seemed
to raise the spirits of many. It had not that effect on
mine, so I set out again, and at last Cap 1 Dixon agreed
to take me to Milford and to sail that day. About
2 o'clock I went on board his Ship immediately, for
the fate of Enniscorthy the day before, and the
lamentable state in which some of the fugitives from
it entered Wexford, gave me a terror of fire not to be

expressed. I remained on board all night. Mrs. L

sent me a Matress and blankets which I spread on Deck
and put the children on it with the blanket over them.
There w d have been room for me, but a lady I never
saw till then laid herself down by them, so I sat all
night on the handle of the Rudder with my head
leaning on a bundle of ropes. Great God! What a
night that was. The Horns of the Rebels I heard very
plainly, for the Ship just lay about half way from
Ferry Bank and Wexford. I saw very clearly that
the Captain of the vessell was not loyal. Of course,
I had no chance of escaping to England, so sat in fearful
expectation of my fate.

" At the first dawn of day, May the 30 th , the Bridge
was set on fire from the Ferry Bank side, all our crew
were, or pretended to be, asleep. I awoke them, and
if I had doubted their principles before cou'd no longer
doubt them. A wonderful scene of confusion now
ensued. Boats of every description put off from [the]
Shore, and our Ship and every other in the harbour
was filled with women and children, some naked,

168 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

several that had been in Enniscorthy the day before
entirely frantic. When day was quite clear I got a
Spy Glass and saw a party of Rebels about half a Mile
from Ferry Bank. They were stationary, and seemed
as if placed to watch the effect of the fire on the Bridge,
that was soon extinguished. Several Gentlemen
rowed to our Ship to give us accounts of what was
going on, and most curious as well as melancholy
accounts they brought. The North Cork Militia was
at various posts guarding the entrance of the town when
every one of their officers but a young lad of 14
(of the name of Little) left them there and went on
board the Ships. The Donegals and some Yeomen
Cavalry marched with a field piece to the 3 Rocks,
about 3 miles from Wexford, and a strong pass, to
meet the Rebels. They did meet them, fired one
volley, and seeing, I suppose, the immense disparity
of numbers and that the Rebels had got 2 field pieces,
retreated to Wexford, marched thro' it to the Barracks
to refresh, and, of course, left all clear for the Rebels,
as the North Corks deserted by their officers and seeing
the retreat of the Donegals quitted their posts im-
mediately.

" All this time, of course, the Rebels were advancing
and increasing in numbers. I sat watching the
Cavalry on the Quay. They began to disperse shortly
after Mr. Lyster come on the Shore, kissed his hands
earnestly to me, lifted them to Heaven, and went off.
Several of the North Cork officers went back to Wex-
ford from the Ships, and as I afterwards found, joined
their Men who, with the Donegals, Mr. Ogle and Corps,

A THREE WEEKS' TERROR 169

and some few Loyalists who knew of the retreat, fought
their way and after incredible hardships arrived safe
at Duncannon Fort. It appears very extraordinary
that Col. Maxwell, who commanded, neither sounded
a retreat nor sent to acquaint the Yeoman Corps
that he intended it. By this means those at distant
posts never heard of it, and were standing perfectly
ignorant of their situation when the Rebels poured
into the town in numbers past all belief or description.
As soon as the Army had gone off Cap* Dixon got into
his boat avowedly to join them, and saying he wou'd
try what he cou'd do to save our lives in a manner that
showed we had little to hope. We were then, I suppose,
about 40 women and children put into the hold of the
Ship on Coals with which it was loaded, and sat
expecting immediate death for above an hour.

" Never can I forget the Scene ; few have beheld such
a one. Not a shriek or loud word was spoken, except
by Henry, who was singing as if he was in perfect
safety. My poor Isabella cried quietly by my side, and
a Mrs. Bland sat patting three lap Dogs. At length
Cap* Dixon returned, and said no woman or child
shou'd be killed, but that no man sh'd escape but 3
that he named. Numbers of Men had come on board
in his absence, hoping to escape to England. One

particular friend of mine, Mr. T , asked me to

shelter him behind me in the hold. I did so, and
covered him with great coats, &c. The Rebels now
sent boats to bring the People into town from the
Ships. What ferocious Savages then appeared, intoxi-
cated with Whiskey and victory, one woman brandish-

170 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

ing the Sheath of a Sword and boasting of her exploits !
She was sister to Mrs. Dixon, and an old acquaintance
of mine, as her husband had been killed at Artramont.
The first demand was for Arms which the Gentlemen
[had] brought with them. Some Rebels jumped into
the hold to search, one of them fixed his eyes on me
and said, ' If I looked he wou'd be satisfied.' This was
a great relief, for I was certain before of seeing my
poor friend killed by me, and perhaps sharing his fate
for hiding him. I then crept on hands and feet under
the deck &c., and found several Guns, Pistols and
Swords, which I handed to my Rebel admirer. He
thanked me very graciously, told the rest not to
molest me, and they all went off carrying with them
a number of the unfortunate men to Prison and to
Death.

" Observe that from the time Cap* Dixon returned
Pistols and Guns were incessantly firing round us,
and he assured us there wou'd not be a life spared
on board any Ship but his, and that his Ship was
excepted because he was brother-in-law to Roche,
the Commander of the Rebel Army. When the Boat

went off with Arms, and my poor friend Mr. T told

me he wou'd go on Deck and meet his fate for he w d
not involve me in it, I bid him stay and went to M rs
Dixon, [and] told her who he was. She declared he
was as safe as herself, so he went, most fortunately,
on Deck, for in half an hour another boat full came
in very bad temper and said if they found one Gun
or man below they wou'd burn the vessel and all in it.
I thought it most probable they wou'd find Guns,

A THREE WEEKS' TERROR 171

for I had not looked very carefully. However, they
did not, but sent every one from on board the Ship
but me and family. I had no place to go to. Mrs.
Lyster I knew had gone in a boat down the harbour,
all my friends in town were loyal and I supposed
were murdered. So I begged of M rs Dixon to let
me stay, and I must do her the justice to say she
consented with seeming good nature. The day passed
in receiving boats full of Ruffians coming to search
for men ; to boast of their murders, and to increase
their Intoxication. One wou'd not drink except /
did first least he shou'd be poisoned. I did drink ;
sincerely wishing (if it was God Almighty's will)
that it might be poison. At night I lay down in the
hold on the Coals with the Children, who slept quite
sound. They had never eat nor asked for food that
entire day, nor from 3 o'clock the day before, except
one bit of bread. When the Crew thought us asleep
their conversation exceeds description. What saved
our lives or saved us from worse than Death was our
all gracious God who still preserves us.

" At day light, May 3ist, Cap* Dixon came on board,
and said everything horrible, made me stand on the
deck to look where poor Mr. Boyd's dead body lay,
and boasted of various murders. A fellow came
opposite to me, drew his Pistol from his Girdle, and
with the look of a Demon seemed to enjoy my terror.
M rs Dixon came and said if I had any papers that
showed I was a Protestant I must destroy them, as a
party were coming that w d destroy her and her Ship
if they found a Protestant in it. On this I unlocked

172 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

my box of papers and they tied them all round with
large coal and sank them in the Sea. Another boat
now came. One Man seemed more humane than the
rest ; I took him aside and offered him my purse if
he wou'd get us safe on Shore. He said ' Yes/ spoke
to a friend of his, and instantly made us get into his
boat. Elizabeth brought my writing box. No one
said we did ill or well. M rs Dixon asked, ' Wou'd I
take my Trunks ? ' I had sufficient presence of mind
to say ' No/ that I thought them much safer with her.
This, and a most curious liking that Isabella took to
her, I believe got us out of the Ship alive. The Child
cried at parting with her, and clung round her.

" We rowed off ; I had no place to go to, and the
Streets were as thick of armed Men firing random Shots
as Leaves on a Tree, for that was the Boatman's
Simile. One of them considered and asked me if I
knew any Catholic. I named M rs Talbot. He brought
me [by] a back way from the water to her house. It
was all shut up and deserted, and we got again into
the boat. I sat not caring what they did with me,
when to my amaze, I was asked if I knew Doctor
Jacob. 1 I said ' Yes/ ' Then we will take you to him,
for his is a safe house/ z They landed me opposite
his door, and most kindley was I rec d by all his family.
Do not, however, suppose I was for an instant either
in peace or safety. The Hall etc. was full of Ruffians,
and in 10 minutes after they brought faggots to set

1 Mayor cf the town and Captain of the Wexford infantry.

2 Musgrave adds a note (p. 452) that the house was that of Mr-
Hatchel, son-in-law of Dr. Jacob.

A THREE WEEKS' TERROR 173

fire to the house. Some of more humanity dissuaded
them.

" I had now been from Sunday night the 27th
without Sleep or food, for I can hardly say I eat once
and only drunk some tea from M rs Dixon. You have
read in what manner my time passed, and can scarcely
wonder that my Senses partly forsook me. It was,
however, only partly, for I perfectly recollect all that
passed. I think I may say I was more guided by the
enthusiasm of Despair than Insanity. I took Isabella
by the hand, and went directly to Bagenel Harvey.
He did not know me, which was only what I expected,
covered as I was with Coal Ashes, and convulsed by
Misery. I told my name, reminded him of his ac-
quaintance with John, and desired (for I felt too much
indignation to intreat], that he wou'd protect me and
my children. He spoke with great kindness, seemed
greatly struck indeed by the misery he must have
felt he had caused, and gave me the paper I sent to
you, at the same time saying ' He had no real command,
and that they were a Set of Savages exceeding all
description.' I asked, ' When is this to end ? ' His
answer I never can forget. ' Probably not for some
time, for Government will not now send a Force till
they send a proper one.' He seemed so perfectly
sensible that he had no authority that his Protection
gave me little comfort. He said he must try and get
the people out of the town to form Camps or it wou'd
be destroyed in a few hours. It seems M r John Hay
harangued the Mob, intreating them to burn the
Town, and of course all of us that were in it. Shortly

174 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

after the Rebels consented to go to Camp. I saw
thousands beyond my Ideas of reckoning depart,
[with] many Priests as Leaders. Often the people
stopped, knelt down, wiped the Ground, and crossed
themselves, then set up their hideous Yells and fol-
lowed their Priest. The day passed looking at and
listening to them. Shots fired every instant, and
small parties searching the house as they pleased,
drinking and sending other friends to follow their
example.

" Next day, June ist, just passed in the same way.
John Ricards came to me with tears, lamented my
situation and his own fate in being obliged to join
the Rebels, who with great difficulty spared his life
or admitted him, as they knew from his not knowing
their Signs that he never had been an United Irish-
man. He insisted on my taking eight Guineas. When
I refused [he] laid it on a table and swore he never
would touch it, that he owed me more than he cou'd
ever repay, and wou'd willingly lay down his life
if it cou'd be of use to me. He told me, I am sure with
real horror, how the Protestants were spoke against,
but he trusted the Women and Children wou'd be
spared. I took his Money, and felt more pleasure
in sending him Gen 1 Leake's x Protection when the
Army came than in anything that I met with. I trust
I shall yet be able to repay his attachment still more
fully. In the evening Doctor Caulfield 2 came to see
me. Poor Ricards had gone to tell him where I was,

1 Lake.

2 The Rt. Rev. James Caulfield, Roman Catholic Bishop of Ferns.

A THREE WEEKS' TERROR 175

etc., etc. Caulfield was very kind, and gave me an
ample Protection, but like Harvey, declared he had
no Influence, and added that he was cautioned in
the Street coming, to beware how he protected Pro-
testants. He said, ' The People cou'd not be described,
that in reality the Devil was roaming at large amongst
them. That their power cou'd never hold. That they
w d make it a religious War which w d ruin them. That
Government was strong and must conquer, and that
this rebellion had been hatching for the last four years.'
I think he might have given Government notice of it.
" June 2 d . This day we sat in expectation of our
speedy release. Nothing was talked of by the Mob
in our hearing but the punishing of the Protestants,
and Mrs. Lehaste and many many others went to
the Chapel, renounced their Religion, were Christened
(for it seems we are not Christians), and were marched
in Procession thro' the town. Flanagan, the Boat-
man who brought me on shore, came to intreat I
wou'd go. Various were his reasons. He assured me
I was happy in my sufferings, as they wou'd compel
me to save my precious Soul, which must else be
eternally lost. I answered him with great civility
and thanks, but he saw I wou'd not go, and at last
took his leave intreating me to consent to come then
with him, and with great emphasis to beware of being
the last to go to Mass. Elizabeth was by and enraged
at my mildness, ' how I could patiently bear such a
fellow's daring to speak to me, that they might kill
her, and so she supposed they wou'd, but never
shou'd they get her into a Chapel alive.'

176 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

" From this time to the 2o th of June, a day ever to
be remembered with singular horor, we passed in
misery and agitation. On the 2 d of June, from fear
that our filth might be too offensive, I sent Flanagan
to the Ship for my trunks. None of us had changed
any of our dress from the 28 th of May. They wou'd
not give them without an order from Mr. Harvey.
I put my Arm under a Rebel's who offered it (I think
he was a bricklayer), and walked thro' the Streets
crowded with armed villains firing incessantly (sin-
cerely I wished some shot might hit me) till I arrived
at M rs Letts, where Centinals were placed, colours
flying, and all proper dignity preserved. The Centinals
stopped me, so I asked for M r Harvey. He immedi-
ately came out and took me into a parlour, where sat
Keagh 1 and Fitzgerald, with various papers on a
Green Table before them. I intreated M r Harvey
to allow some boat or Ship to take me away. He
promised in a couple of days to try and get one. M r
Keagh was all condescension, made me sit down,
but wondered much why I shou'd wish to leave a
place where I was in perfect safety. Fitzgerald never
spoke, but gave me a most ferocious look which I
did not care one pin about. After some conversation,
principally Mr. Harvey's describing all the fatigue
he suffered and the present difficulty of procuring
bread for The People who were demanding it most
clamourously at the Door, he wrote an order for
my Trunks and I departed. So ended my visit to
The Council. My Trunks were then sent, but the

1 Matthew Keugh. See ante, p. 99.

A THREE WEEKS' TERROR 177

locks all broken, and (except a few things at the
bottom of one Trunk), totally empty. Fortunately
there came Linen enough to make us clean. I set about
undressing, and before I cou'd dress again had Rebel
men in my room.

" June the 3 d . They made three Protestants shoot
a man of the name of Murphy in The Bull Ring.
They wou'd not kill him themselves because he was
a Catholic, but he cou'd not be pardoned as he had
given information against Dixon, a Priest, 1 who was
transported in consequence. The Rebels told the
Men who shot Murphy that they shou'd also suffer.
However, they sent them back to Jail. One of them
was butchered on the Bridge the 2oth of June. Murphy
had been Servant to M r Edwards, who had retreated
with the Army to Duncannon. Not having him in their
power they showed their good intentions towards him
by tearing his Mother's house to atoms and destroy-
ing all her property. She and her daughters had
luckily escaped to Wales. Two Ships only were loyal
and went off, She by chance was on board one of them.

" From the 3 d to the io th I recollect nothing
particular, every day was equally miserable and passed
in the same Manner, our doors open, Rebels ever
coming in and walking all over the House, some Civil,
some not, no one ever knowing whether they wou'd
murder or not before they departed. The Rebel
Troops paraded Twice a day on the Quay opposite
our door. They had fiddles, Drums, and Fifes. They

1 A relative of Captain Dixon. Kavanagh (p. 181) says the
priest was sentenced " upon the evidence of a perjured informer."
N

178 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

were pleased to call it parade. It was in reality a
regular Tumult, every one gave his advice and opinion.
One said, ' I will go and take Ross/ another, ' I will
take Newtownbarry.' Henry John listened one day
with great attention and said, ' Dear Mama, are they
every one Kings ? ' At this time the John Street
Corps of joo Men was commanded by Monaghan,
a Derry boy. He had the most truly ferocious coun-
tenance I ever beheld. Henry John asked whether
it was God Almighty that put that face on him. The
Corps afterwards displaced him (they all changed
officers as they pleased), and he went away to the
Camp at Oulart with Gen 1 Fitzgerald.

" About the io th I was told that a M r Masterson,
a Catholic, was to sail in a Ship which had been taken
by the Rebels a few days before and to proceed for
England. I wrote to M r Keagh (as Harvey was
absent) for permission to go. He came, and in the
most plausible manner gave his consent, sent orders
to the Committee appointed to give out provisions
to supply me with Sea Store, and assured me he wou'd
take care that I shou'd have most comfortable ac-
comodations and sail next day at 10 o'clock. This
was the hardest Trial God was pleased to give me.
My hopes of deliverance were great, but next day
came and I heard nothing of Mr. Keagh or of the Ship
sailing. I cou'd see it from the windows, and to make
my Story short, was left to find out at my leisure that
I wou'd not be liberated from my Prison ; for Mr.
Keagh never had the humanity even to break it to me.
I did not see him for several days. When he came he

A THREE WEEKS' TERROR 179

said The Committee cou'd not permit my Departure
a member of the Committee was really a friend of
mine, and never, I am sure, was it brought before them.

" For several days I never wished to go out, but
was desired to do so by M r Keagh. ' Why shou'd we
confine ourselves ? Surely we cou'd have no Fears
or Distrust ? ' I went to see M rs Ogle, M rs Boyd
and Lady Anne Hore and M rs Richards. Few ven-
tured to any of those I have named, and truly miser-
able was their situation.

" June the 14 th Cap 1 Dixon and his Wife rode into
town carrying a small Fire Screen from Col. Lehante's
country house. Unfortunately it was decorated with
orange Paper. Dixon stopt on the Quay, [and] spoke
to the Sailors with his usual violence. All I cou'd hear
was, ' You see, we were all to be massacred.' He rode
into town, and as soon as the Sailors collected their
arms they followed him. There was a most dreadful
Tumult. Poor Col. Lehante dragged from his Lodging,
fired at, struck, and many Pike Men attempted to
stab him. How he escaped is hard to say. Some
leading Rebels interfered, and The People determined
at last on putting him regularly to Death next day,
so consented to his being lodged in Jail. He only
received one or two slight wounds, which considering
his situation, was truly wonderful. The Rioting
continued all night. Dixon and his Wife made out
that the Fire Screen was The Orange Standard;
and that all the figures on it pointed out various
methods of torturing Roman Catholics. At another
time, or if their views had been different, the inter-

i8o THE WAR IN WEXFORD

pretations of the Charades etc. would have been
truly laughable. As to the Figures, Hope on her
anchor was a Sailor tied and left to die on a Red hot
anchor, so all the Wexford Sailors were to have
perished. A Heathen Goddess in buskins was Trans-
formed by their Bigotry into Saint Patrick with a
new kind of torture applied to his legs, and showed
clearly how all true believers in him were to perish.
The Babes in the Wood were The Roman Catholic
Children turned out to Starve, the birds to pick their
eyes out. It was hard on the Poor Red breasts, whose
humanity I never before heard any doubt of, but I
suppose they had turned Protestants. In the course
of the evening one set of Rioters bust into the Council
room and nearly killed Keagh, his crime was being
an Orange Man. The Catholic members of the Com-
mittee rescued him. They were all Catholics, for
Keagh had embraced that Religion, and always went
at the head of the men to Chapel, so did all other
leaders and soldiers that joined the Rebels, but the
latter never forgot who had once been Protestants
and treated them accordingly. I have heard some
say ' All their Policy and their Christening shan't
save them/ and latterly it was avowed that no Pro-
testant shou'd live much less command them.

" About 9 o'clock the 14 th a Party of Sailors, about
20 armed, came to our house. Their Leaders called
out, ' Some go and secure the back of the House and
now my Lads get ready your pieces and seize every
person you meet.' Our Terror was dreadful. Isabella
was in Bed rather delirious, and heard some one speak

A THREE WEEKS' TERROR 181

of this party, I was obliged to lye down by her and
wait their appearance. They brought candles in to
help them in their search, as they said, for arms, ran
their swords under the beds, etc. At last one said,
' We won't have any blood.' I never can forget how
delightful I thought those words. They told us a
long history of Col. Lehante's crimes, his dreadful
Screen, etc., drank some Whiskey and departed.

" [On] the 17 th and i8 th of June small parties of
Horse appeared on Parade. They were called foraging
parties, but in reality were sent out to watch the
Progress of the Army. Of its approach we had not
an Idea, were told that the Rebels were every where
successful, and that Dublin and all the Northern
towns were theirs. The Rebels cheered on Parade
for taking Ross the day after they had been defeated
there, and Mr. Keagh came in to tell us of the victory.
He said ' Maam there are 500 Soldiers lying Dead,
Dead ! ' The common people really thought every
thing was their own. Their Priests and Leaders
dare not undeceive them. Recollect this, and it will
account for their different line of conduct. The
latter knew a day of reckoning was at hand, and as
far as they cou'd do it without danger to their own
lives wou'd, I believed, have saved ours. But the
former, certain of success, threw off all disguise and
showed themselves in their true colours. Never till
then had I any Idea of what Wickedness the human
heart is capable when deprived of all restraint, or
still worse, given up to Bigotry and the grossest
superstition. Some anecdotes of this Superstition

i8 2 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

I must give you. My acquaintance, Mrs. Dixon's
Sister, told me, enveighing most desperately against
the Soldiers that they had dared to fire on the Holy
Man (Roche the Priest), but that as soon as the Balls
touched him they fell as soft as Feathers, adding,
for I fancy she doubted my Faith, ' I saw them My-
self.' Unfortunately, this Holy Man forgot any
Preservative against Hemp, and was hanged on Wex-
ford Bridge the 23 rd of June.

" Murphy, a Priest, was killed at the Battle of
Arklow, but my Rebel acquaintance informed me
that the Army took him alive, tortured him cruelly,
and spent an entire day endeavouring to burn his
right hand, but no, that they cou'd not, the Holy Man's
hand wou'd not burn. Ask one of those Holy Men to
save a Friend's life ; they were all benevolence,
but alas ! had no Power, their influence had long
ceased over the minds of the People. So they go on,
and so they will ever go on, whilst God for the just
punishment of our sins suffers such a Religion to
Exist. The Rebel Leaders said they fought for Liberty,
Emancipation, and Reform, Their Soldiers that they
fought for Religion, to punish the Protestants, and
to save their own lives, as We were certainly to have
massacred all of them on Whitsun Tuesday. This
I was assured their Priests had preached to them*
One night on our Steps a man lamented much the
hard life he led, and said he was much happier in
his own Cabin. ' So we were,' said another, ' but
consider your Religion.' ' I never will be backward
for my religion,' was his answer.

CHAPTER VIII

MRS. BROWNRIGG'S JOURNAL AT WEXFORD
(continued)

Arm of Erin ! prove strong ; but be gentle as brave,
And, uplifted to strike, still be ready to save ;
Nor one feeling of vengeance presume to defile
The cause or the men of the Emerald Isle.

DRENNAN.

^^^^ N the 19 th of June one of the Protestant
m Maid Servants came in with a counte-
% M nance impossible to describe, Joy and
^^-^^ Terror were so equally blended. She had
been in a Shop where Mr. Keagh was, when a man
galloped into town covered with Sweat and Blood. Mr.
Keagh called out, ' Sir, why are you from your Camp ? '
The man gave an account of the Destruction of Lacken
Camp that morning by the Army from Ross, whom he
represented as close at his horse's heels. All the People
wished to hear him and general confusion ensued. Mr.
Keagh called him a Liar and sent him to Jail, but every
one believed the Story he told. This was the Crisis
I had long looked for, and went trembling to Pray.
The Drums beat to arms. Mr. Keagh made a Speech
on Parade which I cou'd not hear, the Tumult was
so great ; but about 200 men armed with musquets

183

184 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

stepped from the Ranks and formed a separate body.
Women came with Holy Water, sprinkled and crossed
the Men. I must here inform you of the merits of
Holy Water. Whoever had used it and possessed
Faith was invulnerable. Those that escaped unhurt
from Battle were preserved by it, those that fell
perished from want of Faith in it. Let matters end as
they wou'd, the efficacy of Holy Water was never
doubted. To proceed with my history. The Gun
Men marched off headed by M r Gray. 1 M r Edward
Hay 2 was on Parade, and when it was over, mounted
his horse and galloped over the Bridge, so did Cap*
Dixon and his Wife, [the latter] dressed in my riding
Habit. In the evening one of the Committee came to
tell us that the Army were approaching and English
Frigates [were] off the Coast. No one cou'd feel
pleasure, for we were all certain we shou'd not live
to see them conquer. I sat up the entire night at an
open window listening to every sound. Often I had
done so before, and never had undressed except to
change my Linen from the 27 th of May.

" At dawn of day, Wednesday June the 20 th , I saw
a Rebel Troop coming over the bridge headed by Cap 1
Dixon and carrying a Black Flag with a White Cross
and some white Letters. 3 It was a very small party,

1 Nicholas Gray, Secretary of the rebel Council.

2 The historian of The Rebellion in Wexford, to whose book
frequent reference has been made.

3 " The black flag that appeared in Wexford on this day is,
among other things, talked of with various chimerical conjectures,
and its notoriety as denouncing massacre has been confidently
recorded ; notwithstanding that it is an absolute fact, that this
identical black flag was, throughout the whole insurrection, borne

MRS. BROWNRIGG'S JOURNAL 185

but they only came to reconnoitre. In about an
hour the Wexford men who had marched with Mr.
Gray the day before returned to Parade. They had
been all night at the Three Rocks and in another hour
marched out of town (as I afterwards knew) to fight
the Army at Goff's Bridge. They were accompanied
by a large body of Pike Men. The town was now
remarkably quiet, and some began to entertain hopes,
as the Wexford People talked of sending letters from
Lord Kingsborough to the Army and offering to sur-
render. Cap 1 Dixon returned with a very large Troop ;
I heard Mr. E. Hay came with them but I did not see
him. The apparent Ferocity of this Troop surpassed
(if possible) all we had seen, but their actions will
speak for them. I have been near a week endeavour-
ing to write the account of their Execrable Barbarity,
and can hardly now prevail on myself to undertake it.
Yet I think I ought for my own sake ; if ever you think
me unjust to the Catholics or hard-hearted towards
them, remember what follows, and you will not
condemn me. The day went miserably on. Threats
both by words and looks were bestowed on us. I
sat as usual at the Window, and cou'd see the Frigates
off the Coast. Cap* Dixon had made various pro-
posals to the People in the course of the day all tending

by a particular corps, and the carrying of banners of that colour,
was, by no means, a singular circumstance during that period,
as flags of that and every other hue, except orange, were waved
by the insurgents, and from their different dies ingenious conjectures,
however groundless, for the maintenance of prejudice, may be
made as to the several dispositions of the bodies who moved under
them, as little founded in fact or intention, as was the original
destination of the black ensign in question." Hay, p. 222.

186 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

to the same end, our destruction, which the Committee
and Townspeople wished to prevent as they had no
hopes of defeating the Army ; Policy might have
partly influenced their conduct, but I really don't
think at any time the towns-people appeared in-
clined to Cruelty.

" About three Cap* Dixon came on the Quay
calling out, ' To the Jail ! ' He was followed up the
Custom House Lane by numbers. They returned
after some time calling out, ' To the Bridge ! ' I
thought some alarm induced them to leave the Town
and sat eagerly watching till I beheld Yes, I abso-
lutely saw a poor fellow beg for life and then most
barbarously murdered. To give a minute account
of this hellish Scene is beyond my Strength, nor cou'd
any one desire to hear it. No Savages ever put their
prisoners to more deliberate Torture as I heard but
indeed did not look at them, but I saw a boat go to
the Prison Ship and bring my friends and acquaint-
ances (who on landing passed by our Door) to Torture
and Death. I saw the horrid wretches kneel down
on the Quay, lift up their hands seeming to pray
with the greatest Devotion, then rise and join (or
take the place of) other murderers. Their yells of
delight at the sufferings of their victims will ever,
I believe, sound in my ears. To describe what we
all suffered wou'd be impossible. I never shed a
Tear, but felt all over in the most violent bodily Pain.
My darling Isabella's feelings were dreadful. I in-
treated her not to disturb [herself] but to let me pray
if I cou'd ; still she wou'd lament my being killed.

MRS. BROWNRIGG'S JOURNAL 187

At last I assured her I w d make the Pike Men kill her
before me; this quieted her at once. Shortly after
she left the room and returned with a cheerful look.
' Dear Mama, grow better, I have prayed to God to
make the Pike Men not kill you and to make the bad
men Good, and I am sure He heard me.' After the
Army came she reminded me of this and said, ' You
see Mama, God did hear me.'

" The murderers went on with their execrable
work and put to death in all (from the most accurate
account I cou'd afterwards get) ninety-three People. 1
Some few out of the Prison Ship they acquitted, that
is, spared till the next day at the earnest intreaties
of some of the Rebel Leaders. One man when ac-
quitted said, ' Well, I suppose I may go home to my
Wife now ? ' 'No Sir,' says Cap* Dixon, ' go to your
Prison, your being acquitted now is no reason [why]
you shou'd not be tried again.' We only expected
Life 'till the Prisons and Ship were emptied, when an
Express came in the town to say the Army were
marching against Vinegar Hill Camp, and that if
they did not reinforce it immediately all was lost.
The Town Priests then, and not till then, made their
appearance on the bridge and carried back to Jail
19 prisoners, one Priest told me he cou'd have saved
all the lives that were lost if he had heard of the
massacre. It was wonderful, indeed, how he cou'd
avoid hearing of it. The Leader of the Murderers called
to his Men in these words which I distinctly heard,
' Come my Lads, we will go now and blessed be God

1 Gordon (p. 151) gives the number as ninety-seven.

i88 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

we have sent some of their Souls to Hell.' They went
off really as if they had been performing a praise-
worthy and religious action. Cap* and M rs Dixon
followed on horseback, their horses wou'd not go
over the place where the Blood lay on the bridge,
but started back. They alighted and led their horses,
she carefully holding up her habit to keep it clean.
I think she must have felt some disagreeable sensations
at that moment. It was said she desired the mur-
derers not to waste their ammunition on the Prisoners
but to give them plenty of Pikes. So alas ! they did.

" Late this evening M r R , a Catholic and late

one of the Committee for Provisions, came to see us.
He was like ourselves half dead with horror, and
declared he had intreated the Priests to come down
with their Crucifixes and prevent the Massacre, which
they refused to do. We told him how Father Broe 1

said he had saved 19 Prisoners. This Mr. R

denied, as it was the express only that saved them.
He told us that the Black Flag meant that every one
of that party had taken the black Test Oath. We had
often heard of that, but wished for a particular account
of it. He declared he never knew of it 'till that week.
It seems there are three or four Oaths for United
Irishmen which they take according to their rank and
merits. 2 The Black Test is the last. It devotes all

1 John Broe.

2 On the 1 4th June the rebel Council of Wexford issued three
forms of oaths "to be taken by all the United Army, in the most
public and solemn manner. The Test Oath is as follows, and is
given by Hay, Appendix IX., pp. xxiv-xxv :

" In the awful presence of God, I, A.B., do voluntarily declare,

MRS. BROWNRIGG'S JOURNAL 189

Protestants, Men, women and children to Death in
the most solemn manner, and as it has been published
in the papers I need not copy it here. 1 A man came

into a Shop where Mr. R was and asked another

to give him the Black Test. This was refused, and
the person he asked left the Shop, on which the Man
who wanted to take the oath said, ' That fellow shall
be one of the first I will kill, but as to the oath I
don't care, for such a one can give it, and I will go

to him for it.' Mr. R gave us intelligence of

the success of the Army at Goff's Bridge and en-
deavoured to persuade us we were then safe, as the
people of the Town were all fully determined not to
oppose the Army, and the Country people wou'd be
employed at Vinegar Hill.

" I cou'd not indulge any Hope, spent another
night at the Window, and saw Cap* Dixon, his Troop
and Black Flag, return to Town in the morning.
We all then gave ourselves up, tho' we cou'd see the
Frigates and hear their Guns battering Rosslare Ford
at the entrance of the Harbour. Mr. Keagh's brother,
a very infirm old man, was so much shocked at the

that I will persevere in endeavouring to form a brotherhood of
affection among Irishmen of every religious persuasion ; and that
I will also persevere in my endeavours to obtain an equal, full,
and adequate representation of all the people of Ireland. I do
further declare, that neither hopes, fears, rewards, or punishments,
not even death, shall ever induce me, directly or indirectly, to
inform on or give evidence against any member or members of
this or similar societies, for any act or expression of theirs, done
or made collectively or individually, in or out of this society, in
pursuance of the spirit of this obligation. So help me God."

1 " Every loyal Irish Protestant Heretic, I shall murder, and
this I swear." See Taylor, p. 86.

THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Massacre, the state of affairs and the part his brother
had taken in the Rebellion, that he shot himself.
M r Keagh himself came in a wretched state of mind
to Doc r Jacob and requested he (as a man of known
Loyalty) wou'd go with a message from Lord Kingsbro'
to the Army. 1 Doctor Jacob said he wou'd. The few
Rebel soldiers that remained in town were called to-
gether and spoken to by Keagh and Carty. They
agreed readily to surrendering the town, and also
appointed Lord Kingsbro' to command it till the arrival
of the Army. 2 Most fortunately they changed their
mind as to Doc r Jacob, and w d not let him leave the

1 Ebenezer Jacob, M.D., was asked by the rebels to resume
his former office of mayor on the 2ist June.

2 The following letter was sent to General Moore : " The inhabit-
ants of all religious persuasions are ready to deliver up the town of
Wexford without opposition, lay down their arms, and return to
their allegiance, provided that their persons and properties are
guaranteed by the commanding officer ; and that they engage
to use every influence in their power, to induce the people of the
country at large to return to their allegiance also. These terms,
we hope, Captain M'Manus [really Lieut. Bourke and Robert Carty]
will be able to procure.

" Signed, by order of the inhabitants of Wexford.

" MATT. KEUGH."

It was not, of course, in the power of General Moore to treat
with the rebels in this way, and the following was sent in reply
by his superior officer : " Lieutenant-General Lake cannot attend
to any terms offered by rebels in arms against their Sovereign ;
while they continue so, he must use the force intrusted to him,
with the utmost energy for their destruction.

" To the deluded multitude he promises pardon, on their de-
livering into his hands their leaders, surrendering their arms,
and returning with sincerity to their allegiance.

" Enniscorthy, 22nd of June, 1798.

"(Signed) G. LAKE."

Maxwell, p. 142 n. See also ante, p. 155 n.

MRS. BROWNRIGG'S JOURNAL 191

town, where he had been kept the entire month
attending their sick men. Luckily for him they all
knew his medical skill and took good care of him for
their own sakes. Mr. Harman of the N. Cork Militia
was sent in his Place accompanied by M r Fragna,
a Rebel Chief, who shot the poor young Man about
a mile from the town. The Runaways from Goff's
bridge and several from Vinegar Hill poured into the
town vowing vengeance against every one. Pro-
testants to be sure were first, but the towns-people
and all the advisers of a surrender were equally
threatened. The Sailors of Wexford took an oath
to defend Lord Kingsbro's life, and did fire several
shots on the Mob from his lodgings. The great anxiety
to kill his Lordship first was, I believe, one cause of
our escape, for the mob wasted much time in en-
deavouring to get him.

" About 4 o'clock Mr. R. and Doc r Jacob came in.
They had been fired at in the Street. Doctor Jacob
was as composed as I am now, but I really never saw
such firmness of mind as he possessed on all occasions.
Mr. R. said the General Massacre was just going to
begin, that he came to try to save us, or rather to
share our fate, for he feared we cou'd not escape.
However, he had got a boat with men he thought
he c d rely on at the end of our house, that we must
try to get in, stand the fire of the Rebels from the
Quay and in passing under the Bridge, and if we got
clear throw ourselves on the mercy of the Gun boats.
This was truly desperate. I walked up Stairs and
went to a Window. The Rebels were settling them-

192 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

selves as before on the Bridge, and sending a boat to
the Prison Ship, when, conceive my astonishment,
I saw them all begin to run. I flew down Stairs,
doubting my Senses, to tell Doc r Jacob. He came
to the window. It was no Illusion. Run they did
in such confusion that I am amazed numbers were
not trampled to Death. A general cry, ' The Army
are come, they are in the Town ! ' explained their
flight. Wretches out of the Infirmary in their Shirts
ran in an incredible short space of time. The Streets
were almost clear ; about fifty armed Rebels rushed
into our house, tore out their Green cockades, threw
their arms under the beds, and hoped to escape by
being found under Doc r Jacob's Roof. He put on
his regimentals and went into the Street. A villain
that was running off turned and fired at him, he wiped
Doc r Jacob, then took another pistol and said, ' If
I must die I will die like a Cock,' and Shot [at] him.
This is what I heard, but as I never asked Doc r Jacob
myself, cannot be sure of the concluding part. Bostick
Jacob, a young boy, saw the villain fire at his father
from a window. Mr. Percival the Sheriff galloped
on the Quay to our door, said ' Here we are and
12,000 Soldiers with us,' or something to that pur-
pose.

" Imagine if you can our feelings, exclamations and
conduct. I never can forget the expression of Eliza-
beth's countenance as she came down Stairs to shake
my hands. The Boat that was sent to bring the
Prisoners to Torture and Death brought them to
Liberty and rapture. Several came to us ; one (Mr.

MRS. BROWNRIGG'S JOURNAL 193

Milward) had been with us ten days before they put
him in Prison. No kind of Decorum was observed,
nothing but kissing and embracing. Most of the men
cried violently. I wish that dear General Moore
cou'd have seen us. He in reality was two miles off
and there were only 12 Horsemen in the town, but
no one knew that 'till next day. Romantic as it
sounds, I saw above five thousand men fly from one
Horseman. It was supposed above 4000 fled from
the Faith end of Wexford. They took all the cannon
with them and Sir Charles Asgill afterwards [gave] l
a good account of them. My Bridge acquaintance and
those under the command of Fitzgerald, Roche and
Perry have since spread misery and destruction thro'
the county of Wexford and Wicklow. We never heard
with certainty what became of Dixon, none of us
saw him go over the Bridge, and as he is a very large
man and rode a tall white Horse, he cou'd hardly have
escaped the observation of more than 12 of us who
were all particularly anxious to see him depart. 2
I think it was about nine o'clock when Gen 1 Moore's
Army really arrived and that we were in safety after
26 days and nights of the most exquisite misery.
Not one hour or even moment of Ease had I experi-
enced from Monday May the 28 th . How indeed cou'd
I, at the mercy of thousands of Ruffians who might
at any time they pleased do whatever they pleased
without fear of punishment or even censure ! The

1 Torn in the original.

2 It is thought that he escaped to America. See Lecky, Vol. IV.,
p. 470, and Kavanagh, p. 263 n.

194 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

prospect of immediate Death is horrible (as I can tell)
but that was little to the horrors every Woman must
have dreaded.

" I have mentioned that only 12 men were in Wex-
ford for an hour [torn] great body of Rebels fled.
Their names I shall add to this. They were coming
on with Gen 1 Moore's Army when they saw the flames
of two Houses near the Green Walks, for the long
intended Scheme of burning the town had actually
begun. Mr. Boyd, as I have been told, went up to
the Gen 1 and requested permission to ride on and
rescue his wife or perish with her. Permission was
given, and n others joined him. The consequences
of their desperate Gallantry I have already told.
Never shou'd I have written this but for them ;
half an hour wou'd probably have decided all our
fates and certainly mine and those in the house with
me. We cou'd hardly have escaped in Mr. R.'s Boat,
and being in the first house on the Quay, of course,
wou'd have been first butchered. Our situation on
the arrival of our deliverers you have heard. Mrs.
Boyd told me she and Lady Anne Hore were sitting
expecting the entrance of their murderers [when they]
heard a horse gallop up Street and stop at their door.
They went to the window and saw M r Boyd. Is it
not amazing that no one lost their Senses from Joy ?
Several had done so from terror.

" Names of our 12 Deliverers. M r Boyd one of
the Proscribed ; M r Percival ; M r Jos. Sutton ; M r
Archer Bagly ; M r John Byrne a Roman Catholic ;
M r Hughes ; M r Stedman ; M r Archibald Jacob

MRS. BROWNRIGG'S JOURNAL 195

Proscribed; M r John Tench; M r Boyd's Servant;
M r Irwin ; M r John Waddy.

" Copy of Bagenel Harvey's Pass given to me in
Wexford May 31 8t 1798 :

" ' Permit M rB Brownrigg, her two young Children
and Servant, to pass free. They are Strangers un-
protected and have no connection with publick

affairs< " ' B. B. HARVEY.'

" Copy of Protection from J. Caulfield, the Titular
Bishop :

" ' Having long known the Bearer, Widow of the
late Commn r John Brownrigg, to be a most benevolent
Gentlewoman and universally esteemed, I now in
the name of Humanity and in the name of Jesus
Christ recommend her to the Protection and good
offices of every Christian that she may not be injured
in her person, property or children. Given in Wexford

June i et 1798. , T ~ ,

JAMES CAULFIELD.

" ACCOUNT OF WEXFORD REBELS FROM MY OWN
KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF.

" Mr. Matthew Keagh was originally a fifer in the
same Regiment with Gen 1 Johnson, and I heard the
Gen 1 recollected it when he sat as one of the Court
Martial who condemned him. By some means Keagh
procured an ensigncy and then a Lieut cy , came to
Wexford with his Regiment, where he contracted a
very particular friendship with a Gentleman and Lady
of that town, sold out and made a visit to them of

196 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

several years. Some family misfortunes obliged Mr.
Keagh's Host to leave the Kingdom. The Lady also
went amongst her friends, and he had an abode to
seek for. An excellent one he procured by prevailing
on a widow (M rs Grogan) who was possessed of very
considerable property to marry him contrary to the
advice and intreaties of all her friends, who did not
visit or speak to her for some time after. However,
Keagh, who was really a man of abilities and most
Gentlemanlike in both appearance and Manners,
conquered their dislike so as to live on very friendly
terms with all her family, and on most intimate ones
with M r B. B. Harvey, who was a near relation of
M rs Keagh. The Gentlemen of the Country all dis-
liked and shunned him, and he was ever reckoned a
dangerous and disaffected man.

" I saw him frequently during his reign. His
manners were humane and plausible, but he never
acted up to his professions. He told us one evening
he wou'd protect Lord Kingsbro' and keep him in his
house if he lost his life by it, and the next morning
we heard of Lord Kingsbro's removal to a Poor Ale
House in the town. Keagh took great delight in
reading the various letters that were found in plundered
houses and the Robbed Mails, and went to M rs C's to
read out to her and 23 others a letter from a nephew
of hers giving an account of a very delicate and
distressing affair that had occurred relative to a Sister
of his, and which till then had really been kept a Secret
from every one. Keagh's defence was amazingly
able, several of his Court Martial shed tears, and he

jatjMBb&tf* ' ii^*.;^ ~>J* *- 'tnjr*

ACSIMILE OF PAGE OF THE WEXFORI) M.S.

MRS. BROWNRIGG'S JOURNAL 197

had no doubt of a pardon to the last moment of his life.
He walked from the Jail to the Gallows and bowed
to some Ladies he saw at a window with a composed
and chearful countenance. At the Gallows he made a
Speech, again declaring (what was the substance of his
defence) that he never knew anything of the United
business till the Rebels were in possession of Wexford,
and was then forced into it to save his life ; this he
said in such a solemn manner, and with such an
appearance of Truth, that Gen 1 Moore was induced to
speak to the Guard to defer his execution, and went
off to Gen 1 Leake to solicit his pardon, but Gen 1 Leake
was in possession of Letters that proved he had carried
on the plan for five years and had been one of the most
active agents in Ireland for the Cause. He objected
much to the rope, said it was too slight for his weight,
and made them get another, which on Gen 1 Moore's
return he found, Poor Wretch, strong enough.

" Edward Fitzgerald's Father was a Farmer that
lived about 7 miles from Wexford on the Oulart road.
His Mother was a Sister of Hays of Ballenheale. Old
Fitzgerald made a very tolerable property by farms,
Malt Houses and selling Horses. He is dead some
years. The Young Man is, as I am told, both Weak and
Stupid. He was a Lieut, in Col. Lehante's Cavalry,
and the intimate friend from childhood of M r Edward
Turner who was so barbarously murdered without his
ever interfering to save him. Mr. Fitzgerald declared
during the Rebellion to a lady I knew that he wou'd
be thankful to any one [who] wou'd shoot him, his life
was so miserable and his power so uncertain.

198 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

" Gen 1 Edward Roche was a farmer, and lived on
Col. Ration's Estate at a place called Garrylorgh,
near Ferrybank. He was a Serjeant in Lehante's
Cavalry, and commanded the Rebels for some days
in Lehante's uniform. 1 He married a Miss Dixon, Sister
to Cap 1 Dixon and cousin to the Priest that was sent
off for transportation by the Wexford Gentlemen
before the Rebellion."

Here Mrs. Brownrigg's diary abruptly ends, but in
the little packet of manuscript is a letter which may
well bring this chapter to a conclusion, for it gives an
account of the writer's death.

" 13 December, 1804.
" Bath, 21, Brock Street.

" My dearest Uncle,

" Aunt Mary has no doubt informed you of the
melancholy Event which has happened, and which
I am sure gave you great concern. My dear mother
often desired me not to repine when I lost her. I am
determined in every particular to follow all her wishes,
tho' I shall find none harder than this one. I try to
hide my sorrow as much as possible, but I never
cou'd meet with such a misfortune. I have, however,
many consolations. I know that she died without
the least pain, and that she was spared the only pang
she often said death wou'd have for her, parting with
me and John. Now, indeed, her children may see the
advantage of not putting off repentance to a death
bed, but that she often said she had no faith in. For

1 He deserted on Whit-Sunday.

MRS. BROWNRIGG'S JOURNAL 199

five days before she died she was in a stupor and quite
delirious. She always knew me, and never saw me
without kissing me. The last kiss I had from her
was about half an hour before she died. Oh ! how
her sweet face was altered, and how plainly death was
written on it. She was quite easy but could not speak.

" My dear Uncle, how I wish you wou'd come over
as soon as you can. It would be such a comfort to me
to see you. I have often been told by my dear mother
that I should always live with you when she was gone.
Aunt Mary says that Mama told her a year ago
that I should live with her. The last letter I wrote
you was by her directions, and you know in that she
made me mention living with you. However, a letter
that there is for you will settle all that, and all I wish
at present is that you would come here.

" Henry John came here on Monday Morning. He
was very much affected indeed. Without any par-
tiality I think there cannot live a sweeter tempered
or better disposed boy than he is. He minds every
word his Aunt says to him, which is what few boys
of his age wou'd do. He intends writing to you very
soon.

Col 1 Hardy came here on Monday Night and has been
as kind and goodnatured as possible. Good bye my
dearest Uncle, give my best and most aff te Love to my
Aunt and dear Anne, and believe me to be your very
aff te and attached Niece,

" ISABELLA W. BROWNRIGG.

[Endorsed : " 13 Dec. 1804. My dear niece Isabella's
letter after her Mother's Death."]

CHAPTER IX
WAR IN THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS

We marched to Comer and fought the soldiers,

And travelled round by the Colliery.
They stole our guns and left us in disorder,

We lost our lives in Kilcomany.

CONTEMPORARY SONG.

IT was not until the morning of the 22nd June
that a definite plan of action was determined
upon by Edward Fitzgerald, Anthony Perry, and
the other chiefs who accompanied the second
body of rebels. Eventually they decided at a council
of war to make for the Wicklow mountains. If their
condition cannot be described as exactly desperate
it was bordering on despair, for the loyalist army
seemed to be here, there, and everywhere, and their
own powder-magazines, or what took the place of them,
were almost as empty as Mother Hubbard's cupboard.
There must have been much searching of heart when
they heard of the terrible doings of the Gorey Cavalry
on the aoth, 1 and there was a general cry for vengeance.
Hay 2 and Miles Byrne 3 both assume that the entire
rebel force marched towards Gorey, but Lecky,

1 See ante, p. 149.

8 Hay, p. 248.

8 Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 189.

WAR IN THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS 201

apparently basing his information on Gordon, who
says they were under Perry, states that the party
consisted of 500 only, the larger body penetrating into
Wicklow. After killing seven rebels the yeomen
" galloped away full speed," leaving the wretched
refugees in the town to look after themselves, with the
result that thirty-seven were slaughtered in cold blood. 1
Eventually the rebels came together again, and spent
the night at the Whiteheaps, at the foot of Craghen
Hill. Thus ended " Bloody Friday," the story of
which is told all too prosaically in the Camolin Cavalry
Detail Book as follows :

" June 22. Patrole marched at 6 o'clock, accom-
panied by the Gorey Infantry, and a number of refugee
Loyalists from Gorey and the neighbourhood, but
on their arrival in Gorey they were astonished to
find no force there but the small party of Cavalry
which was ordered there by Gen. Needham. Two
men who were prisoners with the Rebels on Vinegar
Hill, and escaped from them during the Battle, arrived
in Gorey, and informed the Yeomanry there that a
large party of Rebels were in Clogh. Sent an express
towards Clogh to know if the information was right
express returned and informed the Officers that they
had seen a number of Rebels in Clogh street, who,
on seeing them, pointed the blades of their Pikes
towards the ground, crying out at the same time,

1 See Lecky, Vol. V., pp. 10-11, and Gordon, p. 157. "No
women or children were injured, because the rebels, who professed
to act on a plan of retaliation, found on inquiry that no women or
children of their party had been hurt " (Gordon, pp. 157-158).

202 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

' Come on, we are all Friends.' Express stopped a
while and viewed them, and when the Rebels saw the
express would not advance to them, the[y] made a
charge on them, and fired a shot or two after them.
Express arrived in Gorey and reported. Rebel
prisoners in the Guard-house brought out and im-
mediately shot. Yeomanry under the command of
Lieut. Smith of Camolin Cavalry, took a circuit
thro' Clogh and the adjoining hills, and killed some
Rebels on their return to Gorey, the[y] found that
some of the Yeomen who had come with them to
Gorey in the morning had returned to Arklow, but
from Clonattin they could see a large force advancing
towards Gorey. Supposed them to be Army on
their march from Vinegar Hill, dispatch one file to
reconnoitre them, express returns, and reports them
to be Rebels. Hastens towards Arklow, is met by
Captain Holmes and a party, who had heard of the
movements of the Rebels, returned, and shortly met
the Gorey Cavalry each carrying an Infantry Man or a
Loyalist. Found that the party which remained in
Gorey had marched out to meet and attack the Rebels,
but finding that they were surrounding them, they
retreated. Rebels followed to Saint Austins and killed
some of their party. The whole of the Military
retreated to Arklow, and this night stood to their
Arms, fearing an Attack.

" June 23. Though there was no attack during the
night, the small Garrison of Arklow had reason to
think there would be an attack made, but the arrival
of a private of the Castletown Yeoman Cavalry, who

WAR IN THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS 203

had been taken prisoner the day before by the Rebels,
between Gorey and Coolgreny, for the present quieted
their apprehensions. He reported the Rebels to be
in great force, but badly prepared as to ammunition,
and were under the command of M r Perry. 1 They
stripped him of his Regimentals, robbed him of his horse
and arms, and if he had not had a little friendship with
Perry or some other of their leaders, they would have
killed him. They brought him prisoner to Wood-
burne's, near Mount Nebo, where they gave him his
dinner of fryed Bacon, and then they set off on their
route towards the mountains of Wicklow, and he under
cover of night made his escape from them into Arklow.
Number killed yesterday in Gorey and between that
and Coolgreny said to be upwards of 30, besides a
number wounded. Parties ordered to Patrole with
caution during the night, and if they should hear or
see anything remarkable, ordered to Report.

" June 24. Reconnoitreing parties ordered out.
At ii o'clock three Rebel Prisoners were brought in,
who could give no satisfactory account of themselves.
A Court Martial summoned, prisoners put on trial,
found guilty and immediately executed. Two file
of Yeoman Cavalry with Assistant Commissary to
bring in Forrage for the use of the Military Horses.
Two file of Yeoman Cavalry arrived from Gen. Need-
ham, Oulart Camp, with the following Orders :

' General Orders. Oulart Camp, June 23, 1798.

' The detatchments of Yeomanry Corps in the

1 The rebels were at the Whiteheaps, as already noticed. Miles
Byrne (Vol. I., p. 194) states that skirmishing took place.

204 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

neighbourhood of Arklow will hold themselves in
readiness to march from thence for Arklow, and remain
there 'till further Orders, which they will receive
occasionally from the Major of Brigade.

" When Lord Mount Norris's Corps returns to
Oulart, the Gorey Corps will be stationed at Gorey,
where they will be joined by the remainder of their
troop now at Arklow. The other Corps of Yeomanry,
viz. 2 Arklow, Coolgreny, Castletown and Wingfield,
will be stationed at Arklow.

" ' Major Gen. Needham returns his thanks to all
the Yeomanry Corps for their spirited and good
conduct when in the face of the enemy, and laments
they had it not in their power to have given further
proof of it, which he is well assured they will do when-
ever an opportunity offers. As the present situation
of the Country does not require their assistance, they
are sent convenient to their own districts, where they
may be better supplied with whatever is required
to recruit them after the fatigue they have undergone.
Returns of every kind of Camp Equipage to be given
in to the Major of Brigade.

" ' C. UNDERWOOD, Bri. Major.'

" Patrole for the night to commence at 9 o'clock,
and report every two hours. At 12 o'clock, a Yeoman
reported that the patrole had seen several fires at a
distance in the Mountains, but this caused no alarm
in the town. Everything was quiet. 1

1 " On the 24th of June, as on the day before, there was very
little skirmishing ; the enemy's cavalry were dispersed by our
gunsmen in every attempt they made to attack us." Miles Byrne,
Vol. I., p. 195.

WAR IN THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS 205

" June 25. Two file from each detatchment of
Cavalry as an escort with Captain Beauman of Cool-
greny Cavalry from hence to Rathdrum. Twenty
file with Lieut. Forde of Coolgreny Cavalry on a
Reconnoitreing party towards his seat at Ballyfad
and the neighbourhood. 1 At 6 o'clock the different
escorts arrived in town, and at 7 three file arrived from
Oulart Camp with dispatches from Gen. Needham
to be forwarded to Wicklow, dispatch from Col.
Skerrit to Captain Holmes, and the following Orders
to Yeomanry Corps :

" ' General Orders. Oulart Camp, June 24, 1798.

" ' The Corps of Cavalry under the command of
Major General Needham, when they gain their re-
spective troops, will regularly send out Patroles under
Non-commissioned Officers, who will take care to
maintain the strictest discipline, and who will report
every occurrence to their Officer, who will immediately
report to the General by express, should the occurrence
be of consequence.

' ( ' All Expresses to be forwarded to their place of
destination the moment they arrive.

" ' Commissioned Officers of Yeomanry are desired

1 On this day Perry and his followers united with the men
under Garret Byrne, who had apparently divided for some reason
or other (Hay, p. 259), and together with Joseph Holt attacked
Hacketstown, which was but poorly garrisoned by some 200 men,
under Captain Hardy and Lieutenant Gardiner. The struggle
continued for nearly nine hours, and finding the place untenable,
Perry withdrew, the loyalists falling back on Tullow. Gordon
(p. 1 70) and Hay (p. 260) give the number of loyalists killed as ten,
and twenty wounded, and of rebels " perhaps " nearly 200, including
Michael Reynolds. The former speaks of the courteous treatment
of the women by both parties.

206 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

on no account to permit the Non-Commissioned Officers
or Privates to take their arms with them from Quarters,
unless on Duty, as arms that are lost or damaged must
be accounted for by the Commissioned Officer.

" ' CHARLES UNDERWOOD, Brigade Major.'

" June 26. This morning a detatchment of Antrim
Militia under the command of Lieut. Col. O'Hara,
arrived in town, the Lieut. Colonel taking the command
of the town. Reconnoitreing parties sent out on
different Roads returned about 2 o'clock. On the
Evening parade, Captain Holmes returned thanks to
the different Yeomanry Corps for their good conduct
and attention to their Duty during the time he had
the honour to command them.

" June 27. At 12 o'clock one file of Camolin Cavalry
arrived from Gorey with a dispatch to be immediately
forwarded to Wicklow, and orders for the Camolin
Cavalry and Loyal Mount Norris Rangers to march
immediately to Gorey, which was done with all the
expedition possible. Arrived in Gorey at 7 o'clock,
but as the Patroles for the night were previously
arranged, the Parties had no other Duty to do than
to provide lodgings for themselves and horses in
the shattered Houses. Samuel Buttle and Edward
Stephens, Yeomen of Camolin Cavalry, who were
taken prisoners by the Rebels, joined the troop on its
arrival in Gorey. The following was ordered to be
Read and filed :

" ' General Orders. Gorey, June 27, 1798.

" ' Major General Needham is surprized to find his

WAR IN THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS 207

Orders neglected, which orders he at present refers to,
and that on no account the Yeomen are to leave
Quarters without a written pass from their Captain.
Any transgressing this Order the General will punish.
The Cavalry Yeomen are to parade mounted every
morning at 10 o'clock, and every evening at 7 dis-
mounted. The Infantry will parade at the same
time. The Captains will be able to account for absent
Men. These Orders, and any other that may be
issued, are to be read on Parades, and entered in the
Orderly Serjeant's Book as formerly directed. The
Parade to assemble every morning and evening before
Head Quarters.

" ' C. UNDERWOOD, B.M.'

" At 9 this evening a Proclamation (of which the
following are the outlines) was posted up in Gorey,
and ordered to be distributed throughout the Country,
' enabling the respective Generals commanding in the
different districts to offer Pardon and Amnesty to such
of the deluded insurgents as should come in to an
appointed place in each County, and surrender and
give up their Arms in 14 days from 25 June ; and
certificates of protection to be granted to all who should
take the Oath of Allegiance, abjure their former
treasonable obligations, and give security for future
good Behaviour.' 1

1 Rebel leaders, persons under arrest, those guilty of murder
or conspiracy to murder, yeomanry who had deserted or adminis-
tered illegal oaths, persons who had direct communication with
the enemy, and the county delegates of the United Irishmen were
excluded from amnesty (see Alison's Lives of Lord Castlereagh and
Sir C. Stewart, Vol. I., p. 63 n.). Moore, who was in charge of
a detached brigade, passes severe judgment on the way in which

208 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

" June 28. John Redmond, a priest, came into
Gorey to surrender himself ; committed to the Guard
house. At 12 o'clock the entire Yeomanry were
inspected by Brigade Major Underwood, after which
a private from each troop was ordered out to assist the
Commissary in procuring Forrage for the Military

the troops behaved at this trying time, when it was particularly
necessary to calm the fears of the peasants and to show that the
certificates of protection given to rebels were what they pur-
ported to be. The condition of the men and officers of the Militia
was as bad as ever, and he stigmatises the latter by calling them
" as ignorant and as much a rabble as those who have hitherto
opposed us. Our army is better armed and provided with am-
munition ; that of the rebels has the advantage of zeal and ardour.
If the rebellion continues, or if the French effect a landing, even
in inconsiderable numbers, I shall consider the country as lost
unless a completely different system is adopted." On the 4th July
he notes that murders and plunderings had been committed by the
rebels in the neighbourhood of Taghmon. " Some of these yeo-
men were beginning to vex the people by casting up against them
what had passed, and threatening revenge ; to burn, &c." The
General certainly did his best by word and example to counsel
mutual understanding, in marked contrast to General Eustace,
stationed at Ross, whose troops were acting like the Avenging
Angel. Pillage on the part of the yeomen still continued, however.
He writes on the 26th July that " Above 1,200 have already sur-
rendered their arms and received ' protections,' and numbers are
crowding in every hour. Everything bears the appearance of
returning tranquillity, and I am convinced the country would
again be quiet if the gentlemen and yeomen could behave them-
selves with tolerable decency and prudence ; but I am constantly
obliged to reprove their violence, which prompts them every in-
stant, notwithstanding the orders and proclamations, to gratify
their revenge and ill-humour upon the poor inhabitants. I cannot
but think that it was their harshness and ill-treatment that in a
great measure drove the peasants and farmers to revolt. They
seem to have learnt nothing by the lesson, but are as ready as ever
to commence their former usage, and from what I observe of the
temper of the better sort of people I foresee nothing but discon-
tent and ferment in the country" (see Diary of Sir John Moore,
Vol. I., pp. 303-3 9)-

WAR IN THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS 209

Horses. One file from different troops as an escort
with prisoners from Dublin to Wexford ordered to
lodge them in Ferns Guard-house. On their return
to Gorey, they saw a number of Men supposed to be
Rebels on Ballydarnill Bridge near Camolin, who fled
on seeing the escort, and escaped by crossing the Bog
to the right of the Bridge could perceive no Arms. 1
At 10 o'clock the following Orders were issued :

" ' General Orders. Gorey, June 28. 9 o'clk P.M.

" ' It is Major General Needham's order that no party
of Regulars or Yeomanry shall on any account patrole
to-morrow towards Anagh, Mount Nebo, Limerick,
or Bolaring before 2 o'clock P.M. and should any
Straglers go that way, the General orders that they
are not to shoot or otherwise destroy any Man or Men
they may meet on those roads.

" ' C. UNDERWOOD, B.M.'

" June 29. A number of Rebels came in this day,
gave up some pikes, took the Oath of Allegiance, and
got protections from Gen. Needham.

" ' General Orders. Gorey, June 29, 1798.

' It is Major General Needham's positive Orders
that the daily returns of all the Yeomanry Corps in
this town be given in at 7 o'clock in the morning to
Brigade Major Underwood, that a general one be made
out for the Inspection of the General before 8 o'clock.

1 On the 26th the rebels had marched towards Craghan Hill ;
" the enemy's cavalry from Arklow, Gorey, and other towns,
were continually seen at a distance, but they seldom ventured to
engage in combat with our men, so that the 27th and 28th passed
with very little skirmishing." Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 197.
P

210 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

" ' Any Corps of Yeomanry of Wicklow or Wexford
that have not already Orders are to consider themselves
on Permanent Duty, and will be entitled to pay from
the time they are called together by any of the General
Officers of the District, and they must make a return
on the first of every Month of the strength of their
Corps, and a return of Permanent pay which must
be sent to B. M. Underwood, to be forwarded to Colonel
Tytler to be inspected, and signed by General Craig,
on which their pay will be issued from the War-Office
to whatever Agent they may appoint.

" ' CHARLES UNDERWOOD, Brigade Major.'

" June 30. At 10 o'clock intelligence was brought
to the Camp on Gorey-hill that a large body of Rebels
were in motion towards Gorey, 1 in consequence of
which Gen. Needham detatched a party of 5 th Dragoons,
Antient Brittons, Ballakeen and Gorey Cavalry, and
some supplimentary mounted Yeomen, in number near
200, under the command of Lieut. Col. Pulson of the
Britons, on a Reconnoitreing party in the direction
the Rebels were said to be moving in. As the patrole
advanced, they were informed the Rebels were near
Ballyellis. The Rebels on seeing the Patrole ad-
vancing in so rapid a manner, instantly quit the Cars
on which they carried their Women and Baggage,

1 Their destination was Carnew, and they were under the
leadership of Garret Byrne, who was still accompanied by Fitz-
gerald and Holt. Miles Byrne makes a mistake in the date of the
battle of Ballyellis, which, according to him, took place on the 2pth
June (see Vol. I., pp. 197-200). The Ancient Britons suffered
severely in this fight.

WAR IN THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS 211

and advanced under cover of the ditches to annoy the
patrole as the[y] passed. When the patrole came up,
the Rebels opened a heavy fire on them. The Patrole
on the other hand were so enclosed by ditches
and walls on both sides the road, they could do no
execution. Patrole advanced on towards Carnew,
but the Rebels artfully formed a scheme of stopping
the communication by placing the Cars above men-
tioned and other lumber as barriers across the Road,
which while the Patrole was endeavouring to force,
the whole body of the Rebels fell upon their rear, and
put a great number of them and their horses to death.
The firing distinctly heard on Gorey Hill. Gen.
Needham ordered another party of Cavalry, (Camolin
being the chief part) to escort him towards Carnew,
as that was the direction the firing was heard in. At
Carnew he met two file of the fugitives who related
to him the melancholy tidings. Retreated to Gorey
Hill, and immediately a strong party of Infantry,
with Lieut. Smith and 20 Camolin Cavalry, marched
to the relief of the Patrole, but the remnant of the
Patrole took a circuit thro' Carnew, and arrived in
Gorey in a shattered condition about 2 o'clock.
Express forwarded to order the Relief party back
to Gorey. Priest Redmond tried by Court Martial
and immediately executed. 1 The troops stood to their

1 Gordon, the Protestant historian, passes severe censure on
the execution of Father John Redmond, who, he suggests, was seen
but once in the company of a band of insurgents, when he called
upon them to desist from plundering Lord Mount Norris's mansion.
See Gordon, pp. 185-186, also Lecky, Vol. V., pp. 19-20, and Hay,
pp. 266-267.

212 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

arms the entire night, and sent out very strong
patroles. 1

We left Fathers John Murphy and Philip Roche
on the 2ist June at Sledagh. 2 Early the following
morning the latter rode off in the direction of Wexford,
hoping to make favourable terms for this party of
rebels, but he and his hopes were dashed to the ground,
not metaphorically, but literally. The unfortunate
priest was dragged before a court-martial 3 and hanged
on the bridge which had well earned the name of " the
bridge of sighs." Moore describes him as " a great,
fat, vulgar-looking beast," 4 Miles Byrne as "very
handsome and more than six feet high," adding
that he enjoyed considerable influence. 5 So much for
a man's opinion when it is biassed.

On the 22nd Father John's division traversed the
site of the battle fought by Moore and Philip Roche
but two days before. The dead still lay unburied, and
the wreckage of things military impeded their progress.
At Killedmond, Co. Carlow, a fight took place with
the garrison and the barracks was set on fire. The
following day saw them at Goresbridge, 6 on the
River Barrow, which town fell to the insurgents, the
commander of the troops making an ignominious

1 The rebels marched to Kilcaven Hill.

3 See ante, p. 158.

3 Miles Byrne makes no mention of the court-martial. As
he was present at many of the events narrated in this portion of
the chapter, his Memoirs have been largely drawn upon.

* Diary of Sir John Moore, Vol. I., p. 30x3.
6 Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 152.

* Also known as Newbridge.

WAR IN THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS 213

and semi-humorous retreat mounted behind a dragoon
guard, leaving his men to be taken prisoners after
firing a few desultory shots. 1 The night was spent
on the Ridge of Leinster, and it is said that several
of the captives murdered their comrades. On the
24th Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, was reached, the
collier-inhabitants of Dunain having flocked to Father
John's standard on the way. This augmentation
of the rebel forces was the cause of much rejoicing
at the time, but heaviness came the following morning
when it was found that some of them had deserted
under cover of night, after having helped themselves
to weapons and ammunition.

During the march on the 24 th Miles Byrne nearly
lost his life owing to a misunderstanding with a
company of the Waterford Militia, the rearguard of the
troops retreating from Dunain. At Castlecomer General
Sir Charles Asgill's men contested the rebel forces,
who suffered severely, and some fifty loyalists were
killed, 2 the former retiring towards Kilkenny, from
whence they had started. Father John, passing
into the Queen's County, stayed the night there, and
on the evening of the 25th was at Kilcomney Hill,
Co. Carlow, near Scollagh Gap, a pass leading into
Co. Wexford, where it was hoped that news of the
larger body might be obtained. When the camp was
astir on the 26th no more colliers were visible ; the

1 A few were killed, and twenty-seven taken prisoners, of whom
seven were " condemned as Orangemen " and shot. Sir Charles
Asgill arrived after the rebels had evacuated the position (Gordon,
p. 166). Hay (p. 256) says twenty-eight were taken prisoners.

2 Gordon, p. 166.

214 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

reinforcement had turned into a depletion. Meanwhile
something much more important was happening.
Through the haze some of the 1,600 troops 1 under Sir
Charles Asgill could be seen advancing. Without
artillery, 2 short of ammunition, and encumbered with
women who had taken refuge with them, the rebels
forced their way through Scollagh Gap, which was
very fiercely contested by the cavalry, but the honours
of the battle of Kilcomney 3 Hill rested with the English
commander. When the Irishmen had time to take
stock of things, the redoubtable Father John was
missing an irreparable loss to his followers, who must
have discerned, even though they did not admit so
much, that the knell of their cause was already tolling.
Diligent search was made, but without result. The
erstwhile bullet-catcher had disappeared as into thin
air." 4 Divided counsels reigned with the usual result.

1 Lecky, Vol. V., p. 7.

8 Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 170. Gordon (p. 168) says their
artillery consisted of ten light pieces. The same authority mentions
that seven loyalists lost their lives and some 200 or 300 rebels.
He also adds a significant footnote. " I am informed," he says,
" that great part of the slain were inhabitants of the country which
had unfortunately become the scene of action, who had not joined
the rebels nor left their houses ; and that great part of the plunder
was taken from people of the same description. The behaviour
of the army in other places renders this account very probable."
See also Hay, p. 258.

3 Sometimes called Kilconnell.

* Miles Byrne was unable to find out what actually happened
to Father John Murphy, and Lecky (Vol. V., p. 8) says that "There
is some uncertainty about his fate." Gordon (p. 185) asserts that
the rebel chief was conducted to Tullow, " where, being recognised,
he was executed by martial law." Froude (Vol. III., p. 510) states
that the priest found his way to Taghmon, and became a victim
of the gallows on the 26th June, 1798.

WAR IN THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS 215

The spirit of compromise seemed altogether lacking
in their dissertations, but at least they agreed to differ.
One section, under Father Moses Kearns, ceded,
making for the woods of Killaughram, which would
afford them ample cover and time to recuperate. The
remainder decided on making the Wicklow mountains
their court of last resort. At Monaseed the latter were
told that Perry and his men were stationed near the
Gold Mines, but we shall see that they eventually
united at the Whiteheaps on the 3rd July, and
encamped at Ballyfad. 1 French help was " hourly
expected," and American aid in the form of ammuni-
tion and provisions anticipated. 2

1 See post, p. 217 n..

8 Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 182.

CHAPTER X

They led their wild desires to woods and caves,
And thought that all but savages were slaves.

"W" ULY i. In consequence of the melancholy
affair of yesterday, a large detatchment of
Military and Yeomanry patroled with great
caution towards Ballyellis, but returned with-
out seeing any Rebels. Brought in the bodies of
some of the Britons and Yeomen who were slaughtered
the preceding day. Hunter Roe and Henry White,
Yeomen of Camolin Cavalry, who were detained at
home by the Rebels, joined their troop this day.
At Evening Parade, there appeared to be missing
25 Antient Britons, n Fifth Dragoon Guards, 6
Gorey, and 2 Ballakeen Cavalry, besides a number
wounded.

" July 2. Received Orders to prepare for an in-
spection at 12 o'clock, which took place accordingly
by Brigade Major Underwood, who passed some com-
pliments on the Yeomanry Corps which he inspected.
Lord Mount Norris, attended by 10 file of his troop of
Yeomanry, on a Reconnoitreing party towards Little
Limerick. Returned at 4 o'clk, and drove in some

216

BANDITTI 217

Cattle, which was given up to the Commissary for
the use of the Troops. 1

" July 3. One file from each Corps of Yeomanry
Cavalry, to be commanded by a Subaltern, ordered
to Ferns with Prisoners. All the Yeomanry, both
Cavalry and Infantry, inspected by Gen. Needham,
after which Reconnoitreing parties of Cavalry were
sent out.

" July 4. One file from each Corps of Yeoman
Cavalry order[ed] to Arklow for supplies for the
Commissaries Horses returned, and brought an ex-
press to Gen. Needham, and another to Col. L'Estrange,
Ferns, which was forwarded with expedition. Lord
Mount Norris, attended by a party of his troop, on
a reconnoitreing party towards Corrigrua, returned
by Ballycanew, and brought in some Cattle and
Sheep, which was delivered over to the Commissary.
A Serjeant and 12 ordered for the night patrole

1 On this date a serious affray took place on Ballyraheen Hill,
between Tinnehely and Carnew, where 150 yeomen, chiefly of
the Shilelah and True Blues of Tinnehely corps (see Gordon, p. 174),
had a desperate tussle with the insurgents under Garret and William
Byrne of Ballymanus, the troops finally rallying in Captain Cham-
ney's mansion, which they defended with great gallantry. Lecky
(Vol. V., p. 13) states that the rebels then divided into two bands,
one crossing into Co. Kildare via the Wicklow mountains, and
the other returning to Co. Wexford. This agrees with Gordon
(p. 175). See also Hay (pp. 262-265). Byrne makes this take
place on June 26th. He gives the date of the Ballyraheen Hill
affair as the ist July, which is wrong. The night of the 2nd was
apparently spent by the Wexford men at the Whiteheaps, near
Coolgreny ; on the 3rd the rebels marched to the Gold Mines,
and returned to their former station, encamping at Ballyfad,
where those formerly under Father John Murphy and the section
commanded by Father Moses Kearns from Killaughram Woods
joined them (see Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 204).

2i8 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

on the road leading to Mount Nebo, from 9 till 5
next morning and Report. At 10 o'clock this night
the Chief part of the Garrison received Orders of
Readiness to March at 12 o'clock. All the night
Patroles called in all bustle and confusion ! The
Garrison marched at half past twelve, leaving a
sufficient Guard in the town, under the command
of Brigade General Grose.

" July 5. After a very fatiguing March (the morn-
ing being wet *) the troops found themselves near
a mountain called the Whiteheaps, where the Rebels
had formed a Camp the day before ; but to their
surprize and regret, they had quit that post, and
moved towards Corrigrua Hill, were met in their
flight at Ballygullen, 2 within 4 miles of Gorey, by
Gen. Sir James Duffe's 3 Brigade, who had marched
from Carnew the preceding night, for the purpose
of attacking in conjunction with Gen. Needham.
A Skirmish ensued between Gen. Duffe and the
Rebels, 4 in which a number of the latter were killed,
and on searching the Pockets of some of them, pro-

1 Miles Byrne (Vol. I., p. 205) mentions that there was also
a thick fog. See also Hay, p. 262.

* Sometimes called Craneford.

8 Duff.

' The enemy defeated the cavalry, of whom about eighty were
slain, according to Hay (p. 262), but were unable to stand against
Duff's reinforcements. Gordon (p. 176) says the rebels suffered
" little loss," but Miles Byrne (Vol. I., p. 208) mentions that " We
had vast numbers killed and wounded, no doubt, in this battle,
which lasted two hours, fought with equal bravery on both sides "
a remarkable statement for him to make if untrue. Musgrave
is indefinite. "About 300 of the rebels," he says, "were thought
to have fallen" (p. 519).

BANDITTI 219

tections (which were granted a few days before by
Gen. Needham in Gorey,) were found. Gen. Need-
ham's Cavalry joined the pursuit, and killed a number
of the Rebels. 1 At 2 o'clock the two Brigades marched
into Gorey, bringing with them a powder Mill which
the Rebels in their flight left behind them. At 4
o'clock an Officer and 20 men of Camolin Cavalry
and a party of the Cavan Militia marched in the
direction of Ferns, and encamped for that night
between Camolin and Ferns. The Chief part of the
Military stood to their Arms this night, and had very
large Patroles out.

" July 6. The detatchments which marched yester-
day evening in the direction of Ferns, returned this
morning, and brought intelligence that the Rebels
had taken post on Corrigrua yesterday, but were
driven off it by the Kings County Militia and New-
town-Barry Yeoman Cavalry, commanded by Col.
L' Strange. 2 A Corporal and 3 file of Camolin Cavalry

1 Few contemporary writers mention this, and Gordon (p. 175)
asserts that Needham was " too late in his movements." On the
contrary, Musgrave (p. 519) tells us that although Needham was
unable to advance his infantry sufficiently rapidly, "he pushed on
his cavalry, which joined that of Sir James Duff."

8 This corps was stationed at Ferns. The Marquis of Huntly's
famous Gordon Highlanders had also searched for the insurgents,
but missed them in the fog (see Gordon, p. 176). Miles Byrne
(Vol. I., p. 21 1 ) disputes Hay's statement (p. 263) that after the
battle of Ballygullen the " remaining body of the Wexford men,"
commanded by Fitzgerald and Garret Byrne, " and some Wicklow
men, directed their course to form a junction " with William
Aylmer (1777-1820), the leader of the Kildare rebels, " which
they accordingly effected." This Miles Byrne dismisses as apocry-
phal by minutely tracing the route taken by them. On his own
showing, however, he and a small detachment deviated from the

220 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

to Ferns with Prisoners, to be transmitted from that
to Wexford Goal.

" J u ty 7- At 5 this evening the Cavan Battalion,
Camolin Cavalry and Loyal Mount Norris Rangers

main body. Arriving at Glenmalure, their stronghold in the
Wicklow mountains, he says that he " met vast numbers of the
county of Wexford men, all of whom, like myself, were at a loss
to know what direction the main body of our small army had taken "
(p. 219). Holt then joined them, and there was skirmishing near
Rathdrum. A little later they heard that Fitzgerald, Garret Byrne,
Kearns, Esmond Kyan and others, had marched into the counties
of Meath, Louth, and Dublin and met with " disaster and complete
dispersion " (p. 224). The detachment in which Miles Byrne was
serving remained in the mountains until news arrived of the sur-
render of the French, when the men gradually made their way
to their homes (see Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 236). Kavanagh (p. 258)
partly agrees with Hay, but mentions only Father Kearns, Anthony
Perry, and Garret Byrne as leaders, and says that they assembled
on Carrigrew Hill before starting on their march to surprise Athlone,
Co. Meath. At Clonard, on the River Boyne, a yeoman corps of
twenty-seven men (Gordon, p. 177) under Lieutenant Tyrrel suc-
cessfully opposed them on the nth July. The Wexford men,
numbering about 1,500 (Gordon, p. 177), then left Aylmer and his
associates, and penetrated with Fitzgerald into the counties of
Kildare, Meath, Louth, and Dublin, as Miles Byrne asserts. In
endeavouring to effect their escape after another unsuccessful
engagement on the I2th Perry and Kearns were captured, tried
and executed at Edenderry. On the I4th the rebels encountered
the forces under Major-General Wemyss and Brigadier-General
Meyrick near Ardee, eventually finding refuge in a bog. Desertions
followed, and the remaining body, now much thinned in numbers,
was finally routed at Ballyboghill, near Swords, Co. Dublin, by
the Dumfries Light Dragoons under Captain Gordon. A few
hundred of them, reinforced by deserters from Irish Militia regi-
ments, still held out in the Wicklow mountains and the Killaughram
and Monart woods, near Enniscorthy. The latter forces, known
as the " Babes in the Wood," were dispersed on the loth August,
and particulars are given in the Detail Book, but the former,
usually called the Irish and Catholic Army, and led by Hackett and
Holt, were not got rid of so easily. At Castletown and Aughrim
they murdered several Protestants, and the yeomen retaliated by

JOSEPH HOLT, A PROMINENT REBEL CHIEF

BANDITTI 221

received Orders to March for Ferns the next morning
at 5 o'clock. A Serjeant and 12 men ordered for the
night Patrole on the road to Ballycanon from 9 to 5
next morning and Report. A Dragoon from the

massacring a larger number of Romanists (see Gordon, p. 195).
Hackett was killed while attacking Emma Vale, the house of Captain
Atkins of the Arklow Yeomanry, on the aoth of the following
November, and Holt surrendered for transportation to New South
Wales on the loth of the same month. He afterwards received a free
pardon, returned to his native country, and died near Dublin in
1826. Aylmer and Fitzgerald, after negotiating with General
Dundas, surrendered to him on the I2th July, " on condition, that
all the other leaders who had adventured with them, should be at
liberty to retire whither they pleased out of the British dominion."
Aylmer went to South America and became colonel of a regiment
under General Devereux, receiving his death wound at the battle
of Rio de la Hache. In conversation with Fitzgerald Lord Corn-
wallis elicited the information that " the mob were furious, and
wanting to massacre every Protestant ; and that the only means
they had of dissuading them from burning houses was, that they
were destroying their own property " (Correspondence, Vol. II.,
p. 372). The two chiefs mentioned, together with Garret Byrne,
were imprisoned in Dublin Castle until the beginning of 1799, and
then allowed to go to England. In the following March Fitzgerald
and Garret Byrne were arrested at Bristol, but subsequently found
their way to Hamburg (see Hay, p. 265). Many of the remaining
leading spirits did not fare so well, nine being executed on Wexford
bridge on the 2$th June, including Keugh and Philip Roche,
as were B. B. Harvey, Cornelius Grogan, and J. H. Colclough
a few days later. William Byrne, brother of Garret, paid the full
penalty for his misdeeds. Some seventy rebels were sent to Fort
George, Co. Nairn, one of the most solitary places in Scotland,
where the majority of them were confined until the truce of Amiens,
when they were released.

Lecky, perhaps wisely, contents himself with generalities re-
garding the subsequent movements of the various divisions of the
Irish army until the coming of Humbert to Killala in the following
August. He does not even mention the engagement at Ballygullen
on the 5th July.

Musgrave (pp. 519-520) sums up the situation as follows:
" After this defeat [at Ballygullen] the rebels never appeared in

222 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

patrole on the Clogh road came in at 12 o'clock
and reported that a shot was fired at the patrole
from Charlotte Grove, by which one of the Antient
Britons had his thigh broke. The Grove scoured by
the military, but no person could be found.

" July 8. This morning at 5 o'clock, the Cavan
Regiment of Militia, Camolin Cavalry and Loyal
Mount Norris Rangers, all under the command of
Col. Maxwell, marched for Ferns, where the[y] re-
lieved the Kings' County Militia, and Newtown Barry
Cavalry, under the command of Col. L'Strange,
the above troops having received Orders to occupy
their former station at Newtown Barry. A Corporal
and 3 file of Ballakeen Cavalry brought in the body
of Captain Phillip Hay of the 3 rd Regiment of Foot
from Gorey, who was arrested in Dublin on a charge
of being a leader in the Rebellion at Wexford. He
was escorted on to Enniscorthy by a corporal and 3
file of Camolin Cavalry. A Serjeant and 12 men
ordered for the night patrole, on all the roads and
avenue in and about the Camp of Ferns, to begin at

any part of the county of Wexford, in such force as to meet the
military or the yeomen in a pitched battle ; but many bands of
assassins continued to rob and murder. Part of those who were
dispersed on this occasion, went into the counties of Kildare, Carlow,
and Meath, under Fitzgerald, Aylmer, Garret Byrne, Perry and
Kearns, and spread desolation in their progress. . . . The moun-
tains of Wicklow continued for many months after the asylum of
a desperate banditti, who, under Holt and Hackett as leaders,
committed plunder and assassination in all the adjacent country.
That county, from the strong posts and fastnesses which its steeps,
craggy mountains and deep defiles afford, was the last place in
Ireland in which rebellion was subdued in the reigns of Elizabeth,
Charles I. and King William."

BANDITTI 223

9 o'clock, and come into Quarters at 5 next morning &
to Report. All well. 1

" July 9. Ten file as an escort with Lord Mount
Norris and Col. Maxwell to Newtown Barry. A
Corporal and 6 men ordered to convey three prisoners
in a Carriage to Enniscorthy on their way to Wexford.
Orders received for the Cavan Regiment to march
for Newtown-barry, in consequence of which a party
were ordered through the Country to Press Horses
for to convey their baggage thither.

" July 10. This morning at 6 o'clock, the Cavan
Regiment marched for Newtown-barry. At 9 o'clock
a Regiment of Mounted and Dismounted Hessians
marched thro' Ferns on their route to Carnew. Two
file ordered as guides with the Hessians to Carnew.
A Corporal and 6 men, as an escort with Prisoners
to Enniscorthy. At 12 o'clock the 4 th Battallion
under the command of Col. Lord Blayney 2 marched
into Ferns to continue untill further Orders.

" July ii. At 9 o'clock the whole Garrison were
drawn up by order of Lord Blayney, to witness Punish-
ment inflicted on a private of the 4 th Battalion for

1 Writing from Dublin Castle on this date, Cornwallis tells
the Duke of Portland that " No actual force at this moment exists
in arms against us, except in the county of Wicklow and the
northern boundary of Wexford, and in the county of Kildare,
and borders of the counties of Meath and Dublin" (see Cornwallis
Correspondence, Vol. II., p. 358).

2 Andrew Thomas Blayney (1770-1834), nth Baron; served
in Flanders 1794-1795 ; lieutenant-colonel of the Sgih regiment in
Ireland 1798; major-general in the Peninsular 1810; captured
and imprisoned in France 1810-1814; lieutenant-general 1819.
Lord Blayney had already proved his ability in helping to pacify
Ulster.

224 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

a theft he commited in his last quarters received
200 lashes. Four Prisoners brought in from Gorey,
forwarded to the Camp of Scarawalsh by a Corporal
and 6 men. Two file from hence to Carnew, as an
escort with two Hessian Officers. Night patrole
the same as last and to report. All well, 'till about
4 o'clock, when a few Men were observed on the rising
ground near Miltown. On enquiry they were found
to [be] persons who had been at the Priests about
their lawful business reprimanded by the Officer of
the Patrole.

" July 12. This morning the following Orders
were received from Edward FitzGerald Esq re Brigade
Major of Yeomanry, County Wexford.

" ' Enniscorthy, July 12, 1798.

" ' Brigade Orders for the Yeomanry Corps.

' The Corps in this, and all other stations in this
County, are to particularly attend to keep an account
of the different details given daily by each Corps for
Duty, (in a Book kept for that purpose,) as ordered
by a late Regulation ; and, also, to file their Morning
and Evening reports for inspection if necessary.

" ' B. EDW. FITZGERALD, B.M.'

" July 14. One File as an escort with Col. Cleghorn
from hence to Enniscorthy. Lord Mount Norris
attended by 20 file, went on an information he had
received of Arms and Plunder being concealed in
the neighbourhood of Camolin and Slievebuoy
found on said information some Wine in bottle, and
brought in three Prisoners.

BANDITTI 225

" July 15. Ten file as an escort with Lords Blayney
and Mount Norris, and others of the Officers on a
Reconnoitreing party saw nothing particular. This
evening Mathew Bates, a private in the Loyal Mount
Norris Rangers, was killed by an accidental Shot from
the Musquet of Joseph Kendaick, another private
of the same Corps.

" July 17. Ten file by order of Lords Mount Norris
and Blayney on a Reconnoitreing party on the moun-
tains between Carnew and Camolin returned at
3 o'clock in the afternoon, when the whole of the
troop and part of the 4 th Battalion were ordered out,
on an information given to Lord Mount Norris of the
Rebels having assembled on Killthomas Hill, which
information proved to be erroneous, nothing having
appeared on said Hill but a parcel of Horses supposed
to belong to Rebels, in number about thirty ; re-
turned at 9 o'clock same evening.

" July 18. Twelve file with Lord Mount Norris
on a Reconnoitreing party in and about the neigh-
bourhood of Camolin ; returned about 3 o'clock and
brought in a prisoner charged with being a Rebel.
' Orders. The Yeoman Cavalry and Infantry are
ordered to Parade precisely at 10 o'ck in the morn-
ing and at 7 in the evening every day.'

" July 19. The whole troop paraded at 9 o'clock
by order of Lord Mount Norris, and at 10 were re-
viewed and inspected by Lord Blayney, and afterwards
went thro' the whole of the Exercise much to the
satisfaction of his Lordship. Immediately after
the Inspection took place, the chief part of the Troop
Q

226 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

and some of the 4 th Battalion were ordered to attend
Lords Mount Norris and Blayney on an information
which the former had received of Rebels being con-
cealed in a Cave in the neighbourhood of Rossminoge
about 6 miles from hence could not find any such
Cave, notwithstanding there was very diligent serch
made.

" July 20. The Cavalry paraded at 10 o'clock as
usual, but on account of the wetness of the morning,
were ordered back to their Stables.

" July 21. Two file as an escort with Lord Blayney
to Gorey. On the return of Lord Blayney, he ordered
Lieut. Brownrigg and the Loyal Mount Norris Rangers
to march immediately for Gorey, and remain 'till
further Orders. One file express to Enniscorthy, to be
forwarded from that to Major Gen. Hunter 1 at Wexford.

" July 22. Six file as an escort with Lord Mount
Norris to Dublin.

" July 25. A Corporal and 6 men, by order of
Lord Blayney on a reconnoitreing expedition to Kil-
muckridge and thro' the Mackamores. 2 Saw a number

1 " General Hunter was indefatigable in his exertions to appease
the minds of the people, and to restore confidence and tranquillity
to this distracted country. In this he was very materially assisted
by the address and exertions of Captain FitzGerald, who by the
special appointment of the British Government, was attached
as a proper person to attend the general as brigade-major on the
service in Ireland ; and to this station besides his acknowledged
military talents, a recent display of courage, independent of his
knowledge of the country, certainly recommended him. He was
even invested with the extraordinary privilege of recommending
such as he thought deserving of the protection and mercy of Govern-
ment." Hay, pp. 270-271.

2 The Macomores is a tract of country extending from Cour-
town to Blackwater. Many representations having been made to

BANDITTI 227

of the Rebels runing in different directions as if col-
lecting a force, and towards the afternoon as they
advanced on to Peppards Castle, they saw a force of
between 60 and 100 armed with Muskets, Pikes, &c.
On seeing this force collected, they instantly returned
to Quarters. One file express from Commanding
Officer in Gorey, to Gen. Grose, Enniscorthy. 1 At
6 o'clock this evening, Lord Blayney 2 with the 4 th
Battalion under his command, marched from hence,
and took with him one file to conduct him the best
road to Ross ; in consequence of his quiting Ferns,

Government that the inhabitants of the district were contemplating
rebellion, it was determined that the troops under General Hunter,
Brigadier-General Grose, Lord Blayney, Brigadier-General Skerret,
and General Eustace, the last of whom commanded at Arklow,
should put a summary stop to the intrigues alleged to be going on
by decimating the territory of the Macomores. According to Hay
(p. 275) General Hunter received a deputation, whose chief
grievance was that the continued cruelties of the soldiery and
yeomanry precluded the rebels taking advantage of the clemency
extended to them by means of protections. Although not noted
in the Detail Book, we are told by the same authority that Surgeon
White of the Camolin Cavalry was sent by FitzGerald to inquire
into the matter, with the result that " the people unanimously
surrendered to him, and continued to flock into Wexford for
several days after, to give up their arms and receive protections"
(Hay, p. 277). Captain Hawtrey White and another also for-
warded alarming reports to Government which were unfounded,
and although a court-martial was mooted, it never took place.
Various addresses were afterwards sent by "the Macomore boys,"
as they called themselves, to Major FitzGerald and General
Hunter, in which they expressed a deep sense of loyalty, and
offered to march against Humbert when he landed at Killala.
Peppards Castle seems to have been their head-quarters. In this
connection, pp. 272-283 of Hay's History are well worthy of special
study.

1 Brigadier- General Grose, with the South Cork Militia.

2 In command at Ferns.

228 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

the whole troop patroled from 9 o'clk in the evening
'till 5 the following morning. All was quiet in the
neighbourhood of Ferns, but the Country at a dis-
tance seemed much disturbed.

" July 26. About 2 o'clk this day Lieut. Smith
with a Corporal and one file went to Enniscorthy to
Gen. Grose, to know how he was to act in consequence
of Lord Blayney's having evacuated Ferns the pre-
ceding evening. General Grose could not give any
order but recommended him to proceed to Wexford
to General Hunter. Lieut. Smith sent back the
Corporal to Ferns with orders for the troop to stand
fast, and protect themselves and the Commissary
stores, until his return. The whole troop mounted
Guard on the Commissary stores from 9 to 5. Found
all well.

" July 27. Lieut. Smith returned from Wexford
without receiving any positive orders from Gen.
Hunter, as he had no official account of Lord Blayney's
quitting Ferns, but recommended him to remain
there a day or two, until he should be more fully
acquainted why Lord Blayney evacuated that post.
Five file of the escort with Lord Mount Norris to
Dublin returned this evening, and brought the follow-
ing letter, which was ordered to be entered in the
Orderly Book :

" ' Dublin Castle 27 June, 1798.
" ' My Lord,

" ' I have it in Command from his Excellency
the Lord Lieutenant to inform you that his Excellency
has been pleased (thro' your recommendation) to

BANDITTI 229

promote John Colley Smith Esq. to be first Lieutenant
of your Lordship's Corps of Yeoman Cavalry in the
room of Thomas Bookey Esq. deceased ; and his
Excellency has also been pleased to appoint John
Jones Esq. to be second Lieutenant, in the room of
John Colley Smith Esq. promoted.

'"I have the Honor to be, My Lord, &c. &c.

" ' WILLIAM ELLIOTT.

" ' Rt. Hon. Earl Mount Norris, &c.

" ' P.S. Commissions shall be made out immediately.'

" July 28. This morning the following Orders was
received from B.M. FitzGerald, and adressed to the
Officers commanding the Yeomanry Troops stationed
at Ferns :

" ' Brigade Orders. Wexford, July 25, 1798.

" ' You are requested when you send Gentlemen of
your Corps to this town on Duty or otherwise, that
you will caution them to call at the Brigade Major's
Quarters to enquire for Orders, &c. Pursuant to
General Orders of the 21 Instant, you will examine
into the number of Horses taken from the Rebels, &
are now possessed by the Gentlemen of your Corps
with their descriptions, and report them to the Brigade
Major as soon as possible.

" ' By Order of the Brigade Major,

" ' T. FITZSIMMONS, Secy.'

" One file with an express from Lieut. Gen. Hulse, 1

1 Sir Samuel Hulse (1747-1837), third Baronet. Served in
Flanders 1793 ; lieutenant-general 1798 ; sent to Ireland with
reinforcements 1798 ; with Helder Expedition 1799 ; Lieutenant-
General of Chelsea Hospital 1806 ; field-marshal 1830.

230 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Wexford, to Lieut. Gen. Lake, Royal Hospital,
Dublin, to be forwarded with all expedition. The
file on furlough at Ross returned this evening, and
brought intelligence that the 4 th Battalion arrived in
Ross very early on the morning of the 26, and without
making any great halt were marched off for Taghmon.

" July 29. Three file as an escort with Commissary
Foley and his stores, from hence to Newtown Barry,
on their return back to Ferns, the troop evacuated
that post, and marched for Gorey.

" July 30. This morning the troop paraded at
9 o'clock, and at 10 were inspected by Brigade Major
FitzGerald, who ordered them again to Ferns, where
they immediately returned, except two file which he
ordered to remain behind, for the purpose of escorting
him to Wexford.

" July 3 1 - At 12 o'clock this day the Dublin
County Regiment of Militia, under the command of
Lieut. Col. Finlay, marched into Ferns and encamped
in the Bishop's lawn. Three file by order of Col.
Finlay dispatched to Newtown Barry, to order the
Commissary and his stores back again with all ex-
pedition."

The rebels had now all but given up the unequal
contest. Towards the end of the month the corps
under Moore was made a moving body by Cornwallis,
the idea being that it could render service wherever
necessary. In reality, its special work, assisted by
Lord Huntly's regiment, was to run to earth the
few remaining rebels who were still at large in the

BANDITTI 231

mountains of Wicklow and in the neighbourhood of
the capital. " As the different detachments were
directed to keep constant patrols on the mountains,"
we learn from the General's informative Diary,
" whilst the rest kept possession of the glens, the
poor devils were kept constantly on foot and all
means of subsistence taken from them. They soon
dispersed and threw away their arms, and the greatest
part of them came in and accepted the protections
which were still held out to them. They would have
done this sooner had it not been for the violence and
atrocity of the yeomen, who shot many after they
had received protections, and burned houses and
committed the most unpardonable acts. These,
of course, shook faith in the Government, and lessened
the confidence the people ought to have had in their
protection. I was altogether three weeks in Wicklow,
during which the country was completely quieted and
the inhabitants at their work. I told Lord Corn-
wallis that in my opinion the country would remain
quiet if the gentlemen would return to their estates and
treat the people with justice ; the presence of the troops
was perhaps necessary for some time longer, but more
to check the yeomen and Protestants than the people
in general." l Cornwallis confesses that the corps under
Moore and Huntly were sent because they could be
depended upon, " for the shocking barbarity of our
national troops would be more likely to provoke
rebellion than to suppress it." 2

1 See Vol. I., p. 311. Dated Blessington, 26th July.

2 Marquis Cornwallis to Major-General Ross, Dublin Castle,
28th July, 1798. Cornwallis Correspondence, Vol. II., p. 379.

232 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

On the I7th July Castlereagh read a message to
the Irish House of Commons to the effect that his
Majesty recommended the compensation of loyalist
losses. The following letters refer to this :

"Dear Sir, "J ul y 3i sl 1798-

" I am very sorry for the Cause of your re-
moval to Gorey, but must desire that you will return
to Ferns as soon as ever you find the Army shall
have repossessed it. Business of Importance still
keeps me in Dublin, but I trust that a very few days
will enable me to go back to the Country, where
I really am anxious to be 'till things shall have been
happily adjusted ! How far the present pacific
Disposition of our Government will contribute thereto,
Time will discover; I shall therefore postpone any
opinion upon the Subject. You will be advised of
the time for the Loyal Sufferers putting in their
Claims to the Bounty of Parliament, and must have
an Exact Schedule ready to lay before the House of
Commons, supported by your affidavit, setting forth
your Losses ! Apprise your Neighbours of this, in
order that they may also be prepared. 1

1 Affidavits of the claimant, the minister of the parish, and of
the claimant's landlord, or his agents, were to be sent with esti-
mates of the damage sustained to the commissioners (see also post,
p. 283). " Frequently," says Gordon (pp. 201-202), " different
sons and daughters of the same man, though unmarried, and
constituting part of his household, made separate claims, beside
that of the father. Frequently four affidavits were demanded for
one claimant, for subsistence, his house, his instruments of agri-
culture, and his general losses. If any informality was found in
the estimates (which, from the hurry of the persons paid to draw
them, often happened), the three latter affidavits must be made
again a second, or perhaps a third time ; so that ten affidavits
were sometimes made by a clergyman for one person."

KOHF.KT STKWAKT, viscorvr CASTI.KKKA<;H

ollcction of Mr. //. F. K. Wheel

BANDITTI 233

" Remember me to all my Corps and to all other
friends and believe me,

" My Dear Sir,

" Your's faithfully,

" M* NORRIS."

[Address : " Dublin, August Two (no three) 1798.
L* Smyth, Camolin Cavalry, Gorey. Mount Norris."]

A/T -r^ c -4-u [undated]

My Dear Smith,

" Finding that Government were giving a
temporary relief to those loyal Subjects who have
Suffered in the present rebellion I thought it a duty
I owed to my friends that they sh d not be neglected,
if I have done wrong not having their instructions
I hope it will be imputed as a friendly interposition
in me only. I took the liberty of sending in an affidavit
to the Commissioners on y r behalf stating that you
had Sustained a loss of 600^ in Malt, Barley and other
grain, and that your Household furniture, Horses,
Cows and other goods with wairing apparel Amounted
to 400^ and upwards, and this day I rec d 30^ which
I have given to Mary, who sends every article necessary
for her Grandmother and Aunt, with instructions for
them at any time to send to Mary or me and that
whatever they sh d want shall be forwarded, as also
if you sh d require anything let me know or Mary and
it shall be carefully sent, she was anxious to send you
money, but I perswaded her not 'till we heard from
you, blame me and me only for all that has been done.
On Rect of this send me an affidavit made before Lord
Mount Norris or any other Justice of the peace of the

234 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Am* of y r loss allowing amply for it x and forward it
me and I shall do every necessary for you and by it
I shall be enabled to recover a proportion for you,
in y r absence here along with the affidavit get the
Signatures of as many respectable people to certifi
at the bottom of the affidavit, and if they were to
Swear to it, so much the better. Mary is with us
she M rs Jenkin and Robert Join in love to you and
Thomas. Remember me kindly to all our Brother
Soldiers, I have also done the same for M r Pat k Cran-
well and for M r Harrison and rec d for them io each.
I gave the 10^ to Mary Cranwell who is with us also,
and to M rs Harrison who is at Dances. I write this
opportunity to M r Harrison and M r Cranwell to for-
ward me the necessary affidavits that I may be en-
titled to claim for them again with you. I have a
very great affection with every good wish to assist and
promote the happiness of every loyal person, in the
County [of] Wexford particularly and it w d be doing
a friendly Act if you w d communicate to as many of
our protestant friends as have suffered to forward
me their affidavit of their loss, our friend Math w
Fitzsimons sh d not be forgotten, the Boyces of M 1
Howard, Miss Bass, and poor Richard Swain, Mr.
Jn Jones and M rs Humber are to be with me in the
Moi*. However if Jn Jones was to forward a similar
affidavit he w d recover in proportion, if from my

1 Referring to the loyalist claims, Taylor (p. 168) makes the
following comment : " Many families, who, before the rebellion,
were in comfortable situations, are now reduced to scanty means ;
and many of another description, who were in abject want at its
breaking out, are now in affluent circumstances."

BANDITTI 235

knowledge of the Inhabitants of that part of the
Country sh d not notice all I beg you may give them
instructions and if they remit it me I shall be happy
to do every necessary in my power. M r Gan who was
tried yesterday is to be hanged and beheaded tomorrow
at twelve, he is foreman to Jackson a very handsome
young fellow and will grace the leaf. I commanded
the Stevens Green Infantry at the Execution of the
Shears, it was done handsomely, no Surgeon could
better hit the amputating their heads than Thomas
the hangman. Remember me again and again to all
our brother Soldiers and Sportsmen. I hope to spend
many happy days with you all in y r own Country.
" Y rs ever Sincerely,

" M JENKIN *

" No. 6 King S* Stephens Green.

" Your friend Arth r Colley is very indefatigable to
serve all his friends."

" Dublin, August 7, 1798.
" Dear Sir,

" I am glad to find that the 4 th Batallion of
the Flank Companies, has been replaced by so re-
spectable a Regiment as that of Dublin. I have not
been well for some days, owing to change of air and
mode of living. This circumstance, which affects
my Bowels, and some Business of Importance still
detains me here. Besides, I am labouring the Point
of Compensation for my suffering Brothers, as other-
wise how can things go on ? As to Duty, I am sorry

1 Meredith Jenkin, Lord Mayor of Dublin, 1804-5.

236 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

it falls so hard upon you, but, when I go down, I will
take my Share with my brave fellow Soldiers. We can-
not expect to be paid by our King and Country, with-
out earning our Pay. There is not anything new in
Town.

" Your's faithfully,

" M* NORRIS.

" Remember me to all Friends."

[Address : " Dublin, August Seven, 1798. Lieu*
Smyth, Camp, Ferns. Mount Norris."]

CHAPTER XI

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH

Remedy for Ireland? To cease generally from following the
Devil ! No other remedy that I know of. CARLYLE.

first eight entries in the Detail Book
for August are of no special interest, being
solely concerned with unimportant military
matters. The record then proceeds :

" August 9. No Duty except the usual parades,
which are regularly attended to. Night Patrole
mounted as usual at 9 o'clock, and at ten were ordered
in, in consequence of an express which arrived from
Col. Maxwell, Newtown Barry, to Lieut. Col. Finlay,
desiring that he would march that night with what
troops he could spare, and join him at 4 o'clock the
following morning at the Woods of Monart, 1 as there
had been information lodged of a Body of the Rebels
being concealed in the woods. The troops accordingly
marched from Ferns about 12 o'clock, leaving a
sufficient Guard of Cavalry and Infantry under the
command of Captain Jones of the Dublin Militia.

" August 10. At 4 o'clock this morning the troops
arrived at the woods of Monart, where they were

1 See footnote, Chap. X., p. 220.
237

238 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

joined by Gen. Grose and his forces from Enniscorthy,
Col. Maxwell with the troops from Newtown Barry,
a troop of Cavalry from Borris in the County of Carlow,
and a part of the 4 th Battalion. The[y] instantly de-
termined on surrounding the Woods with the Cavalry
and sending the Infantry in to scour them. The
Infantry found a number of Rebels in the woods,
which they killed, and many more broke out, which
were instantly pursued by the Cavalry, all of whom
were either killed or taken prisoners. The principal
part of the Rebels killed and taken prisoners were
found armed, and proved to be Deserters from the
Antrim, Cavan, and Kings County Regiments of
Militia. The business of the day being compleated,
the troops returned to their respective quarters,
and about 7 o'clock this evening the forces under the
command of Col. Finlay returned to Ferns without
sustaining any loss, but very much fatigued on account
of the quantity of rain which fell during the night."

When Lord Mount Norris heard of this affair he
sent the following congratulatory letter to his trusted
lieutenant :

" Aug : i6, 1798
" Dear Sir,

" I am happy to hear of your success at the
Woods, and the more so, as the deserters from the
Cavan and Antrim Regiments have suffered for their
Apostasy. It is my Wish and the Command of his
Majesty, that religious Subjects should not be talked of,
as many of the Militia Regiments are composed of

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH 239

R. Catholics, and have behaved as well as any man
could. Whoever therefore discusses religious Sub-
jects is a fool, a knave or a madman. You will desire
John Risson, who you say has supplyed our men with
meat, to draw upon me for twenty Guineas at three
days sight, and I will pay it. The absurd letter to
Jimmy Blake was very hasty and ill considered !
It shows the Folly and malevolence of the Person,
who set it on Foot. The Commissary, Mr. Foley must
send up his account to me, in order that it may be
charged to each man's account.

" Your's faithfully,

" M* NORRIS.'

" August ii. One file with a dispatch from Brig.
Gen. Grose, Enniscorthy, to Maj. Gen. Hewitt, 1
Dublin.

" August 16. A Serjeant and 4 file as an escort
with a prisoner from hence to Wexford, on a charge
of Wilful Murder. Two file as an escort with Lieut.
Smith, by order of Col. Finlay, to search for two Men,
by name Ferguson and Proctor, charged with being
concerned in the Conspiracy with the 4 th Battalion
while they were quartered at Ferns. Apprehended
them, and lodged them in the Guard Room at Ferns.

" August 17. A Corporal and 3 file, as an escort
with two prisoners Ferguson and Proctor, from hence
to Enniscorthy, to be transmitted from that to Ross.

"August 18. About 9 o'clock this evening Lieut.

1 Major-General Hewitt (1750-1840), Adjutant-General in Ire-
land; created a Baronet in 1813; Commander-in-Chief in the East
Indies 1807-1811,

240 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Col. Finlay with Lieut. Colman and a party of the
Dublin County Militia, accompanied by an Officer
and 12 file of Cavalry, went out in pursuit of some
Rebels who had seduced one of the Grenadiers be-
longing to the Dublin Regiment to desert ; after
marching two or three miles from the Camp and
searching some places where information had been
given, the whole returned without being able to find
these offenders, as they had all forsaken their habi-
tations."

It is evident that the few insurgents who still held
out in the neighbourhood of Enniscorthy were given
no rest by the energetic and more numerous loyalists,
and it may not be out of place at this point to quote
Lord Cornwallis's important " Memorandum as to
the State of Affairs in the County of Wicklow," issued
at this time. It sums up the actual outlook for those
of the Wexford insurgents who had crossed their

native borders :

Aug. 20, 1798.

" When the troops were sent about a month ago
into the county of Wicklow, the country appeared a
desert, for though the inhabitants were not all in arms
they fled everywhere on the approach of the army
old men and terrified women were alone to be found
in the cottages.

" The good conduct of the troops, who were kept
from marauding, made to pay for everything they
got, and not permitted to molest the people, together
with kind treatment and encouraging language from
the officers, gradually brought back the inhabitants

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH 241

to their houses. The proclamation and humane in-
tentions of Government were then explained and
circulated ; and protection offered to such as would
bring in their arms.

" At this time a considerable body of Rebels in
arms still haunted the mountains who threatened
death and destruction to all who should take pro-
tections ; and the people owned that they were afraid
to take them, lest the troops should be withdrawn
and leave them afterwards to the mercy of the mob.
This fear diminished daily, and at last when the mob
was dispersed and began to surrender, the greatest
forwardness appeared in every one to get a protection
the country is now full of people at work.

" This submission on the part of the people, is a
submission to a necessity undoubtedly. Men's senti-
ments or prejudices are not to be changed in an in-
stant I believe it however to be sincere. They find
themselves the weakest and have suffered so much
by the rebellion, that they wish now to be quiet. It
is by kind treatment that these sentiments are to be
encouraged. If their intention was to rise in the winter,
it can hardly be supposed that they would be at the
trouble to get in the harvest, and collect it where it
will be still more in the power of the troops, either to
use or to destroy it.

" The minds of both parties are unfortunately
still much irritated by mutual and recent injury,
the loyal party, conscious of their own merit and
good conduct, see with disgust that by the pardon
held out, the authors of their ruin are placed nearly
R

242 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

in as good a situation as themselves. Some acts of
violence and revenge from the lower orders of yeomen
have excited great alarm, lessened the confidence in
the promises of Government, and have tended to
increase that hatred and animosity between the parties,
which it is the interest of all to destroy.

" Enlarged views and liberal conduct are not to be
expected from uneducated men ; and it is to be re-
gretted that the gentlemen have not more generally
taken advantage of the neighbourhood of the troops,
to visit their tenants. Their presence and example
would have been of much use in restraining the lower
orders of yeomen, and their advice would have been
equally so to the General Officers commanding.
They would also upon the spot have been able to
form more just notions of the state and temper of
the country.

" Contrary to the words of the proclamation,
protections have been granted where arms have not
been surrendered. It would have been difficult
for officers otherwise to have fulfilled the spirit of
their instructions.

" It was known that many men never had arms ;
some had surrendered them before the rebellion
broke out, and others certainly lost them in the
different retreats, when pursued by the soldiers.
In such instances after taking every means to obtain
the existing arms by delay and the refusal of pro-
tections, officers were guided in the final delivery of
them, by their own discretion, aided by such informa-
tion as they could obtain from the gentlemen, clergy,

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH 243

and priests near them that they may have been mis-
taken in many instances cannot be doubted that
improper people have obtained protections, and that
arms still exist among the people is most natural to
suppose.

" A great object was to get the people to return to
their industry ; this they could not do without a
protection. Had officers refused them to all who
denied having arms, they must either have arrested
them, or, if left at liberty unprotected, have forced
them for immediate safety to take refuge with the
Rebels in the mountains.

" The county of Wicklow has now a quiet and
settled appearance ; after such a convulsion, and in
the neighbourhood of woods and mountains, occasional
robberies and murders are still to be expected. These
will be more effectually stopped and prevented by
the presence and vigilance of the gentlemen, their
good offices to their tenants, and by assisting the poor
to rebuild their cottages, than by the exertion of
troops." l

" August 22. Four file as an escort with a private
and drummer of the 13 th Regiment of Foot, taken up
by Lieut. Col. Finlay on suspicion of being deserters,
not having a proper pass. Lodged them in the Guard-
house at Enniscorthy. Two file with Lieut. Smith
by order of Col. Finlay, to apprehend two persons
of the name of Keys, who were charged with being
concerned in the Conspiracy with the 4 th Battalion

1 Cornwallis Correspondence, Vol. II., pp. 387-389.

244 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

while encamped at Ferns, one of whom was appre-
hended, and safely lodged in the Guard-house.

" August 23. One file by order of Lieut. Smith,
to apprehend a person named Keys charged with
being actively concerned in the Conspiracy with the
4 th Battalion, during their encampment at Ferns.
After making diligent serch, they returned without
being able to discover him.

" August 24. Four file by order of Lieut. Col. Finlay
to press Horses and Cars for the use of the Dublin
County Regiment, they having received orders to
be in readiness to March at 8 o'clock tomorrow morn-
ing. The prisoner Keys made his escape from the
Guard-room about 12 o'clock this night.

" August 25. At 8 o'clock this morning Lieut. Col.
Finlay, with the Regiment under his command,
marched from hence to Enniscorthy. Troop mounted
Guard this night to defend themselves and the Com-
missary Stores at 12 o'clk an express arrived from
Major Gen. Hunter, Wexford, to Lord Castlereagh,
Dublin Castle, which was immediately forwarded on
to Gorey by two file.

" August 26. Captain Jones of the Dublin County
Regiment arrived this day from Waterford. Gave
information that the French had landed in the Bay
of Killala, in the County of Mayo."

Procrastination and promises had been the leading
features of the policy of the French Government in
Irish affairs since Hoche's abortive attempt in the
winter of 1796. Wolfe Tone and his colleagues pleaded

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH 245

for help in and out of season with an amount of fervid
eloquence which should have appealed to all lovers
of " Liberty, equality, and fraternity." Truth to tell,
the Directory soon lost interest in the Irish, although
they had a common cause; England and English
gold were larger and more profitable prey. An ex-
pedition on a fairly large scale was possible, but the
men in authority professed to be in favour of small,
partial attempts, which was perhaps their way of
getting out of an awkward situation without actually
breaking faith. Towards the end of June, 1798,
Admiral Bruix, the French Minister of Marine, whose
name will be always associated with that of Napoleon
in the later projects for the invasion of the British
Isles, bestirred himself in the matter, and resorted
to the half-measure of endeavouring to procure a
number of frigates and smaller boats of the Batavian
navy for the purpose. The Dutch, however, were not
oblivious to the perils of such an attempt ; Camper-
down had taught them a severe lesson, and they
temporised for the time being.

Eventually Scherer, the French Minister of War,
issued instructions for troops to be concentrated at
Brest, and on the I5th July two contingents embarked
at that port and at La Rochelle. This good beginning
augured well, but many of the soldiers were ordered
off almost at once to the Rhine. It was then decided
that General Humbert 1 should sail from Rochefort

1 Joseph Amable Humbert (1767-1823). He was senior officer
of the " Legion of France," which sailed with Hoche in the Bantry
Bay Expedition of 1796.

246 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

in the frigates Concorde (44), Medee (38), and Franchise
(44), the naval command being given to Captain
Savary. General Hardy and his division were to
sail simultaneously from Brest, in a ship-of-the-line
and six frigates under Bompard, to be followed by a
larger body under General Cherin. The total strength
of the force was originally estimated at 8,000 troops,
but it suffered much in the process of pruning. With
characteristic courage, and urged on by the voluble
Napper Tandy, 1 Humbert lost no time in carrying
out the work entrusted to him, and on the 5th August
his armament was completely ready. Considerable
trouble followed, for the troops were clamouring for
arrears of pay and had also been promised three
months' wages in advance. How the General managed
to raise the money is not quite clear, but Wolfe Tone's
son tells us that Humbert called upon the merchants
and magistrates of La Rochelle to advance the neces-
sary sum. 2 On the following day the division weighed
anchor, having eighty officers and 930 non-commis-
sioned officers and men, mostly recruited from the
Vendean army, on board, including Matthew Tone, 3

1 James Napper Tandy, born in Dublin 1740, died in France
1803. He was arrested at Hamburg in 1799 and handed to the
British authorities. After being tried and acquitted on a point of
law he was sentenced to death on a second trial in 1801, but par-
doned at the instigation of Napoleon and Cornwallis, although he
had to leave Ireland.

2 The Autobiography of Theobald Wolfe Tone, 1763-1798, Vol. II.,

P- 347-

3 Matthew Tone (1770-1798). Brother of Theobald Wolfe
Tone. Captured at Ballinamuck, and executed 29th September,
1798.

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH 247

Teeling/and Sullivan, 2 and a cargo of 3,000 muskets and
bayonets, 3,000 pouches, 400 swords, 200,000 cartridges,
1,000 French uniforms, ammunition, a liberal supply of
biscuit, several barrels of brandy, and three field-guns.
The secret instructions issued to Captain Savary,
who hoisted his flag on the Concorde, are deserving
of study if only on account of their extraordinary
nature. He was to use the utmost precautions to
avoid falling in with the British squadrons and to
steer for Achill Head, the Mullet, or Cape Tellin.
After having disembarked the troops the ships were
to return to France. Should the enemy make a
" successful attack during the landing," the soldiers
were to be reinforced by the crews and the ships
burnt ! This novel method of campaigning has a
certain grim humour about it which makes one sur-
'mise that the French Government or the person who
was responsible for the secret instructions had some
ulterior motive in cutting off the only way of escape.
If Savary came up with Bompard, the latter, being
his superior in rank, was to assume command. 3

1 Bartholomew Teeling (1774-1798). He paid his first visit to
France in 1 796, and served with Hoche under the name of Biron ;
Aide-de-camp to Humbert. Executed the 24th September, 1798.

2 Sullivan was nephew of Madgett, a native of Cork and ex-
Roman Catholic priest who was at the French Foreign Office.
Although Sullivan was taken prisoner he was not recognised.

3 Savary 's log throws a curious sidelight upon the position held
by the Republican Calendar in contemporary minds. The log, of
course, is officially dated Messidor, Fructidor, etc., but Savary drops
into " the weather of the month of August," etc., as naturally as
Silas Wegg dropped into poetry. Apparently the new chronology
never penetrated very deep in the affections of the French people.
See Desbridre, Vol. II., Part I., pp. 84-85.

248 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

On the 2Oth August land was sighted, and the
captain put in at Killala Bay. As events proved,
this disobedience to orders was propitious. The
British flag having been hoisted, a pilot from a passing
brig was secured without much difficulty, and a
row-boat containing the port surveyor, two sons of
the Bishop of Killala, and a captain of the Prince of
Wales's Fencible Infantry provided a preliminary
batch of prisoners. On the 22nd the French troops
were on Irish soil, and thus began one of the most
remarkable military adventures of modern times.
To-day the name of Humbert is apotheosised in
song and story, and he certainly did wonders with
the miniature army at his command, but the embers
of the rebellion were scarcely smouldering and refused
to be fanned into a flame. A picturesque glimpse
of their doings is afforded in Dr. Stock's Narrative*
but the following, from the pen of another eye-witness,

1 A Narrative of what passed at Killalla, in the County of Mayo,
and the Parts A djacent, during the French Invasion in the Summer of
1798. By an Eye Witness [Dr. Stock, Bishop of Killala]; Dublin,
1800. "This pamphlet," says Lord Holland, "was little noticed
at the time, and some pains were taken to deprive it of the celebrity
to which it was entitled. Many were offended that republican
Frenchmen should be described, and that by a bishop too, as they
really were, and not as it had suited the purposes of ministerialists
to represent them, monsters of impiety, treachery, and inhumanity.
Dr. Stock was never promoted, and this publication was, it is said,
urged as an objection when Mr. Fox, however, in 1806, considered
it as an additional recommendation to his acknowledged learning
for translating him to a better bishoprick, other reasons were found
to counteract his liberal intentions " (see Memoirs of the Whig
Party during my Time. By Henry Richard Lord Holland. Vol. I.,
pp. 136-137). The reference to promotion is not quite clear, as
Dr. Joseph Stock (1740-1813) became Bishop of Water ford and
Lismore in 1810. He held the see of Killala from 1798 to 1810.

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH 249

is a more graphic account of the events of this memor-
able day :

" A serene and cloudless sky, and brilliant sun,
rendered the 22nd of August one of the finest days
of that remarkable season.

" It was on the morning of that day, whilst pro-
ceeding from Palmerstown to Killala, I first beheld
a ship of war ; three vessels of unusual size, magnified
by the still calm of the ocean, stretched slowly across
the bay of Rathfran (on the larboard tack), weathering
the reef which divides it from the bay of Killala : a
smaller vessel appeared in the offing.

" About twelve o'clock the frigates were visible
from the Steeple Hill and the higher parts of the
town ; they showed English colours.

" The collector and some other persons proceeded
on board ; between two and three o'clock, p.m. the
frigates were standing across towards the bay of
Rathfran ; marks of agitation and restlessness be-
came now apparent amongst several of the inhabitants.
I met O' Kearney, the classical teacher, as he was
returning from the ' Acres,' a remote and elevated
quarter of the town ; a half-suppressed smile of satis-
faction played on his countenance as he saluted me ;
it was the last time we ever spoke. At four o'clock
the agitation and alarm increased ; the revenue
officers had not returned. The inhabitants were
fronted on the Steeple Hill, Captain William Kirk-
wood of the yeomanry, now joined in uniform, as
well as several of his corps, who began to make their
appearance. Two officers of the carabineers arrived

250 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

from Ballina ; they had been at the Cape of Good
Hope, and were judges of all those sort of things ;
we awaited their opinion with anxiety they could
form none. ' Here/ said Captain Kirkwood, handing
his telescope to an old seaman belonging to the town,
who had served under Howe and Rodney, ' here,
tell me what these vessels are.' ' They are French,
sir,' replied the veteran, ' I know them by the cut
and colour of their sails.'

" Quitting the crowd, Captain Kirkwood was
accosted by Neal Kerugan (afterwards an active
chief of insurgents), inquiring, what nation the frigates
belonged to. ' Ah, Neal,' replied the Captain, ' you
know as well as I do.' Returning now to Palmerstown,
I had scarcely arrived, when a neighbouring peasant
on horseback, breathless, and with the perspiration
of terror streaming down his forehead, announced
that a body of strangers in dark uniforms had landed
from the ships were distributing arms had been
joined by several of the inhabitants, and were actually
advancing. ' There they come,' said he, pointing
to an eminence a mile and a half distant, over which
the road passed, and we beheld a dark and solid mass,
moving onwards ; their arms glittered in the rays of
the declining sun. They were occasionally visible
as they passed over the inequalities of the ground,
till emerging from a banky part of the road, within
a quarter of a mile of Palmerstown, we beheld their
column of about eight hundred men, silently, but
rapidly, advancing. They were preceded at some
distance by a single horseman, a robust middle-aged

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH 251

man, dressed in a long green hunting frock, and high
conical fur cap ; stopping for a moment, he saluted
us in the Leinster patois of Irish, with ' Go de mu ha
tu ' (how do ye do ?). A general officer (Sarrazin) 1
and aide-de-camp (Mr. Tone) were now close up ; a
laugh of approbation was interchanged between the
chasseur and his general.

" The commander-in-chief (Humbert) seated in a
gig now advanced at the head of this celebrated band
of warriors, which regularly, but with precision,
pressed rapidly forwards ; calm and unconcerned,
they presented no indication of men going into com-
bat. Having crossed the bridge of Palmerstown,
about three hundred men were countermarched and
bivouacked on the green esplanade in front of the
village ; the remainder marched on to Killala.

" The sun had set behind the western wave and
the grey twilight of evening was fast advancing,
as the French, descending the hill of Mullagharn,
beheld the yeomanry and a party of the Leicestershire
fencibles forming on a commanding ridge, at the en-
trance of the town ; Captain Kirkwood had been
just apprised of the hostile landing, by a fisherman,
who had crossed at Rathfran, whilst the French de-
toured by Palmerstown, and had ordered his men to
this post ; from which, however, they retired into
the town, on the nearer approach of the French.
Three streets diverge from the centre of Killala, in
the form of a sportsman's turnscrew : one southerly
towards the ' Acres ' ; a second westerly, by which

1 Adjutant-General.

252 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

the French were advancing ; the third or main street,
easterly, winding by the church-yard wall, on a steep
declivity to the castle ; and onwards towards Ballina.
" It was on the edge of this declivity the military
reformed ; Moreau could not have chosen a more
judicious position for a retreat. Humbert on reaching
the outskirts of the town, made his dispositions :
he detached a party under Neal Kerugan (who had
first joined him), across the Meadows, to enter by
the Acres road, in order to cut off the retreat of the
military by that rout, or turn them if in position ;
he advanced a few sections, en tirailleur, to occupy
the ridge from which the military had retired. The
chasseur galloped into the town to reconnoitre ; he
was scarcely out of sight in the winding street, when
a single shot was heard, followed at a short interval
by a random scattery volley : it was a moment of
anxious suspense, but the chasseur bore a charmed
life. On approaching the market-place, he was
challenged by a yeoman, (a young gentleman of the
place), who had loitered behind his companions, with
' What do ye want, you spy ? ' the answer was a
bullet through the body, and he fell dead into the
door of a house at which he was standing. The
veteran then reconnoitred the line of the military,
and receiving their fire, returned to his comrades :
he related these events with the sangfroid of an amateur;
he had been in twenty battles, and had never had the
honour of receiving the entire fire of the enemy's line
before. The tirailleurs were warmly engaged ; the
column redoubled its speed, and at the centre of the

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH 253

town, a party of grenadiers which marched at its
head, deployed on the main street ; they were re-
ceived by an ill-directed volley from the military,
at about one hundred yards distance ; their captain
was struck with a ball on the foot ; foaming with
rage, he ordered his grenadiers to charge. It was
refused by the military ; the yeomanry first broke
ground and were soon followed by the fencibles. Pro-
tected by the declivity and the church-yard wall,
from the French fire, the yeomanry escaped through
the castle gates ; the fencibles fled onwards towards
Ballina ; Captain Kirkwood turned down, by his
own house, to the strand, expecting to reach Ballina,
unperceived, by that route. One yeoman alone
remained, Mr. Smith, the respectable apothecary of
the town ; aged and afflicted with gout, he was un-
able to keep pace with his companions ; excluded,
on shutting the castle gates, he struggled to reach his
own house, it was not distant one hundred yards,
but his days were numbered ; the chasseur was at
his heels : eager to make Captain Kirkwood, (whom
he first observed) his prisoner, he disdained the same
favour to a soldier belonging to the ranks he fired,
and the unfortunate man fell a lifeless corpse." x

As the yeomen and fencibles totalled fifty men,
according to Dr. Stock, whose evidence is accepted
by Lecky, the first " victory " of the French was
not particularly far-reaching in its consequences.

1 Popular Songs, illustrative of the French Invasions of Ireland.
Edited, with Introductions and Notes, by T. Crofton Croker (London ;
The Percy Society, 1845), Part IV., pp. 73-78. Reprinted from the
Dublin Penny Journal.

254 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Humbert and his colleague Adjutant-General Fon-
taine assert that 200 men opposed them ; Sarrazin
gives half that number. 1 Captain Kirkwood and
Lieutenant Sills of the fencibles were made prisoners,
the latter being sent on board one of the frigates
the following day and taken to France. The prelate
and his guests, including the dean, as well as nineteen
yeomen, were kept in custody at the castle, but re-
ceived kindly, if not polite, treatment at the hands
of Humbert. Dr. Stock gives us a sympathetic pen-
portrait of the French commander. "Of a good
height and shape," he says, " in the full vigour of
life, prompt to decide, quick in execution, apparently
master of his art, you could not refuse him the praise
of a good officer, while his phisiognomy forbad you
to like him as a man. His eye, which was small
and sleepy (the effect, probably, of much watching)
cast a side-long glance of insidiousness, and even of
cruelty ; it was the eye of a cat preparing to spring
on her prey. His education and manners were in-
dicative of a person sprung from the lowest orders
of society, though he knew how (as most of his country-
men can do) to assume, where it was convenient, the
deportment of a gentleman. For learning, he scarcely
had enough to enable him to write his name. 2 His
passions were furious, and all his behaviour seemed
marked with the characters of roughness and violence.
A narrower observation of him, however, served to

1 DesbriSre, Vol. II., Part I., p. 87.

2 The facsimile signature reproduced on p. 103 of Crofton Croker's
Popular Songs (Part IV.), would seem to disprove this statement.

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH 255

discover that much of this roughness was the result
of art, being assumed with the view of extorting by
terror a ready compliance with his commands." 1

When Cornwallis heard the alarming intelligence,
which travelled rapidly as ill news is wont to do,
and was received in the capital on the day Humbert
landed, he at once began to plan his arrangements
for the disposition of troops. 2 Exact information as
to the number of men who had disembarked was not
forthcoming, it seldom is in the early stages of a
campaign, but the general belief that the allies were
fairly well received was disquieting. For this reason
Brigadier-General Taylor, 3 in command at Sligo,
was told to reconnoitre without coming to actual
fighting with the enemy, and Lake was ordered to
Galway to concentrate a force sufficiently large to
enable him to make a decisive stroke. General Nu-
gent 4 was " to act on the side of Sligo." Moore was
directed to make his way to Athlone, the head-quarters
of the army now being assembled by Cornwallis in
person, which was reached on the 27th August.

1 Dr. Stock's Narrative, pp. 34-35.

2 Cornwallis Correspondence, Vol. I., p. 390. According to
Lake's biographer the intelligence was not received at Dublin until
the 24th August. See Memoirs of the Life and Military Services of
Viscount Lake, Baron Lake of Delhi and Laswaree, 1744-1808. By
Colonel Hugh Pearse, p. 116.

3 Afterwards General the Hon. Robert Taylor. Born the 26th
November, 1760, died the 23rd May, 1839. M.P. for Kells from
1791 to the Union.

4 Sir George Nugent (1757-1849). Served in Holland 1793 ;
he commanded in the South of Ireland and afterwards at Belfast
1798 ; Adjutant-General in Ireland 1799-1801 ; Lieutenant-General
of Jamaica 1801-1806 ; created a baronet 1806 ; Commander-in-
Chief in India 1811-1813 ; general 1813 ; G.C.B. 1815.

256 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Major-Generals Hutchinson 1 and Trench were to
march on Mayo.

So far so good, but Hutchinson imprudently led
his force to Castlebar before the arrival of Lake,
whose obvious course was to go to the assistance of
his colleague, their total strength being about 1,700
men. 2 On the 27th they were routed by Humbert,
who, under the guidance of an Irish priest, had travelled
along a track but little used. Many of the Longford
and Kilkenny Militia took scarcely any part in the
action and deserted to the other side on the first
opportunity that offered, while the Galway yeomanry
took to their heels, hence " the races of Castlebar."
Dr. Stock mentions that after the fight fifty-three
men of the Longford Militia marched into Killala
and exchanged their uniforms for " the blue coats
of France ! " 3 Two days afterwards the defeated
generals joined Cornwallis, Lake sending a dispatch
in advance complaining that it was " impossible to
manage the militia ; their whole conduct has been
this day of action most shameful. . . ." 4 The French
remained in the captured town until early in the
morning of the 4th September. Finding it necessary
to muster all his available forces, Humbert was com-
pelled to send for the 200 French soldiers who had

1 Hon. John Hely Hutchinson (1757-1832). Second in com-
mand to Sir Ralph Abercromby in Egyptian Expedition ; created
Baron Hutchinson 1801 ; second Earl of Donoughmore 1825.

2 History of the British Army. By the Hon. J. W. Fortescue,
Vol. IV., p. 592.

3 Narrative, pp. 46-47.

4 Tuam, 28th August, 1798, 5 o'clock a.m. Cornwallis Corre-
spondence, Vol. II.. p. 393.

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH 257

formed the garrison of Killala, two officers named
Charost 1 and Ponson being left to guard the town
with about 200 Irish recruits. " All the horrors, that
had been acted at Wexford, now stared the loyalists
in the face," notes the worthy bishop. 2 Fortunately
Charost was able to keep some resemblance to order
and subordination. On the 5th Humbert was
attacked by Colonel Vereker 3 and a force of the
Limerick City Militia, whom he discomfited, capturing
two guns and making some sixty prisoners. It was
not until the 8th that the French commander and his
tattered army, or what remained of it, were finally
run to earth at Ballinamuck, while endeavouring
to force their way to Granard, by Lake's advanced
guard.

Moore says that Humbert's forces never totalled
more than 5,000, but adds that Cornwallis's troops
" were bad and undisciplined, and if he had met with
the least check the country was gone." 4 Throughout
this short and eventful campaign all manner of rumours
were current as to the reception of the French and the
help they were afforded by the disaffected peasantry.
After Castlebar Lake was considerably perturbed, as
well he might be, owing to the lack of definite in-
formation on the matter. " I have reason to appre-

1 Lieutenant-Colonel Charost. According to Bishop Stock
Charost was born in Paris, but had spent much of his early life in
St. Domingo.

1 Narrative, p. 49.

Charles Vereker (1768-1812), M.P. for Limerick City 1795-
1800 and 1802-1817 ; second Viscount Gort 1817.

* Moore's Diary, Vol. I., p. 324.

258 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

hend the people of the country are flocking in to the
French very fast," he writes, 1 but four days later
Cornwallis tells the Duke of Portland on the authority
of a captain who had been taken prisoner by the enemy
that his intelligence " affords every ground for per-
suasion that the number of the French soldiers has
been grossly exaggerated, that they have as yet been
joined by a very inconsiderable portion of the in-
habitants, and those (with very few exceptions)
of the lowest order. No material disaffection has
shown itself in other parts of the kingdom." z He
afterwards came to the conclusion that the number
of rebels who joined Humbert did not exceed 4,000. 3
The prelate already cited, an unwilling and en-
forced spectator of so much that was bad in the Irish
character, holds no brief for either the rebels or the
loyalist army. According to him, those in possession
of Killala until its relief helped themselves fairly
liberally to other folks' possessions, destroyed much,
and behaved in an altogether unsatisfactory way.
When the troops were advancing from Sligo, " A train
of fire too clearly distinguished their line of march,
flaming up from the houses of unfortunate peasants." 4
Dr. Stock also draws attention to " the predatory
habits of the soldiery. The regiments that came to
their assistance being all militia, seemed to think they
had a right to take the property they had been the

1 28th August. Cornwallis Correspondence, Vol. II., p. 393.

2 Knock Hill, ist September, 1798. Ibid., p. 399.

3 Ballyhaunis, 5th September, 1798. Ibid., p. 400.

4 Dr. Stock's Narrative, p. 135.

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH 259

means of preserving, and to use it as their own, when-
ever they stood in need of it. Their rapacity differed
in no respect from that of the rebels, except that they
seized upon things with somewhat less of ceremony
or excuse, and that his Majesty's soldiers were in-
comparably superior to the Irish traitors in dexterity
at stealing." 1

In speaking of the priests and the part they played
in the aftermath of the Wexford rebellion Bishop
Stock makes a suggestion which is worthy of considera-
tion. " The almost total dependence," he writes,
" of the Romish clergy of Ireland upon their people
for the means of subsistence is the cause, according
to my best judgment, why upon every popular com-
motion many priests of that communion have been,
and until measures of better policy are adopted,
always will be found in the ranks of sedition and
opposition to the established government. The
peasant will love a revolution, because he feels the
weight of poverty, and has not often the sense to
perceive that a change of masters may render it
heavier : the priest must follow the impulse of the
popular wave, or be left behind on the beach, to
perish." *

Had Hardy's division set off simultaneously with
that of Humbert the historian would probably have
a different story to tell, if not a different moral to
interpret. The embarkation of troops did not begin
until the 5th August, and there was the same trouble

1 Dr. Stock's Narrative, p. 163.

2 Ibid., pp. 98-99.

260 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

over financial matters which had delayed the first
expedition. Fifteen days later Bompard set off with
the Roche (74), and the frigates Immortalite (40)
Romaine (40), Loire (40), Coquille (36), Embuscade (36),
Semillante (36), Resolu (36), Bellone (36), Biche (36),
and Fraternite, notwithstanding the British blockading
squadron, but two of his ships collided and Admiral
Bruix sent an urgent dispatch that the fleet was not
to sail until the enemy was forced to bear away
owing to stress of weather. The news brought by
Savary of the safe arrival of Humbert aroused the
authorities to something approaching enthusiasm,
and the idea of sending the former with further
troops and supplies was discussed and put in channel
for further development. At last there seemed a
glimmer of hope for Ireland, but it was only the flicker
of a guttering candle.

There is more than a suggestion of romance about
the strangest of all strange relief expeditions which
left Dunkirk on the 4th September under Napper
Tandy in the brig Anacreon. What practical service
a handful of Irish refugees was likely to render to
the land of their birth at such a time is open to ques-
tion. Perhaps it was to give " moral support " to
their countrymen, although this notion seems scarcely
tenable, as Napper Tandy appears to have been a
man " who'd rather drink than pray," for tradition
has it that when he landed in Ireland the first thing
he did was to get intoxicated. They duly reached
Arran Bay, and after spending a few hours on the
island of Arran, decided that discretion was the

26l

better part of valour. Accordingly they sailed for
the Shetlands, fought a brig of the British navy
which came up with them, and eventually succeeded
in boarding her. Further good fortune attended the
piratical crew by the capture of two merchant ships,
the Langton of Lancaster, and the Tom from Peters-
burg, the latter of which they successfully convoyed
to Bergen in Norway. The Langton was abandoned
owing to the inauspicious appearance of an armed
vessel, which subsequently took possession of her. 1

The pygmy had been successful where the giant
had so far failed. With a walletful of instructions
and precautions very similar to those given to Savary
and 6,000 muskets and bayonets, 1,000,000 cartridges,
6,000 pouches, 1,200 swords, 2,000 French uniforms,
and equipment for 150 dragoons stowed away in
the holds of their ships, Hardy and Bompard still
walked the quarter-deck of the Roche waiting for the
wind which was to play the British false. On the
i6th September the opportunity came, but two
frigates and a brig of the Brest blockading squadron
followed them until the 3rd of October and then
managed to join the fleet cruising off the North of
Ireland under Commodore Sir John Borlase Warren. 2
Hardy and Bompard doubtless congratulated them-
selves on shaking off " the ravening wolves of the sea,"

1 See deposition of Thomas Roper, master and owner of the
Langton. Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. I., pp. 400-403.

8 Sir John Borlase Warren (1754-1822). M.P. for Great Mar-
low in two Parliaments and Nottingham in two later Administra-
tions. Ambassador-extraordinary to St. Petersburg, 1802 ; com-
mander on coast of America, 1812.

262 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

to use Napoleon's expression. Not for long did this
elation last. Off Tory Island they found the two
frigates, plus nine other sail including three ships-
of-the-line, showing unmistakable signs of fight.
Both the contestants proved worthy of their differing
causes, but the Romaine, Semillante, and Biche alone
returned to France, the remaining vessels being either
captured or sunk. Wolfe Tone fought with the ardour
of a demon on board the Roche. This was not the
nursery warfare of Bantry Bay, it was a matter of
blood and iron such as his soul loved. The story told
in Tone's Memoirs as to his betrayal by Sir George
Hill is dismissed by Crofton Croker as apocryphal,
or at any rate altogether devoid of the treachery im-
puted. This authority states that in a letter dated
ten days before the arrival of the French flag-ship in
Lough S willy Lord Castlereagh says : "I congratulate
England no less on the capture of the Hoche, than I
do Ireland on the value of her cargo. The arch-traitor
Tone is himself a very capital prize." * Determined to
avoid execution, the man who had sacrificed his all
on behalf of the United Irish movement cheated the
gallows by committing suicide in prison.

On the very day the French flags were being hauled
down off Tory Island Savary set off with 1,090 troops
under Adjutant-General Cortez in half a dozen vessels
to reinforce Hardy and Bompard. Four of the ships
anchored in the desired haven of Killala Bay, two
frigates parting company before Irish waters were
reached. Savary's orders were that he should return

1 Popular Songs etc., pp. 111-112.

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH 263

at once if bad news were forthcoming. After having
captured a boat-load of British officers and men
who had not learnt the lesson of the fate which awaited
a similar company on the occasion of Humbert's arrival,
he again set sail for France. His vessels narrowly
escaped capture the following day, and a running
fight with two British ships which lasted for seventy-
two exciting hours ensued. On the 24th October two
Dutch frigates with some 300 soldiers left the Texel
for Galway Bay, and were captured by the British
frigate Sirius.

With such a record of disaster the Directory decided
that the case of their Irish allies was hopeless, and
wisely decided to allow them to doctor their own
wounds. Not that adventurous spirits were wanting
in coming forward to champion any movement in that
direction. Several offers were made and wisely re-
jected, for a lost cause is best relegated to the limbo
of dead things.

The remaining entries in the Detail Book for the
month of August are unimportant, but on the 27th
inst. a detachment of the Cavan Militia, consisting of
100 men under the command of Captain James Adams,
joined the Camolin Cavalry. The letter from the Earl
of Mount Norris which is subjoined shows that he had
nearly as much difficulty in obtaining money for his
corps as had Humbert and Hardy.

" Aug. 28 th , 1798.

" Dear Sir,

"It is impossible for me to say how long the
Corps of Yeomanry will continue embodyed, nor can

264 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

I apply to the Lord Lieutenant, now out of Town, to
have them removed to Camolin. The remaining on
permanent Pay, must depend on the State of the Civil
War ! But every friend to his country will of course
wish the Rebellion to be terminated as speedily as
possible, and the Forces to be reduced, however he
may lament the Inconveniencies that Individuals may
suffer, I am glad to hear that the Corps are attentive
to their Duty. I shall speak tomorrow to Gen 1 Lake
about our quitting Ferns for Camolin. I am fagging
to get our Arrears of pay, which are considerable beyond
Expression. I am, with good Wishes to all friends,

" Dear Sir,

" Your's faithfully,

"M* NORRIS."

[Address : " Dublin August Twenty Eight 1798.
L* Smyth, Camolin Cavalry, Camp, Ferns. Mount
Norris."]

" August 31. No duty except the usual Parades.
At ii o'clock, an express arrived from Brigade Major
FitzGerald, Wexford, to the Officers commanding the
Yeomanry Corps at Gorey, which was immediately
forwarded by one file. By the same express the
following Orders were Received :

" ' Brigade Orders. Wexford, August 31, 1798.

" ' That the Yeomanry Corps stationed at Ferns
will parade at 8 o'clk tomorrow morning in the full
strength of their respective Establishments The
Senior Officer in order of precedence will appoint the
place of Parade and form it, inspect the Corps, collect
the Reports, and see them to be proper and correct,

THE COMING OF THE FRENCH 265

according to a form laid down in the standing Orders
for Yeomanry Corps. The Senior Officer is requested
to be particular in examining the Reports. No
Horses are to be reported that come under the de-
scription of Croppy Horses. In inspecting the Cavalry
every Mounted Man is to appear fully accoutred,
otherwise he cannot be permitted to parade with the
Corps. The Senior Officers will be particular in case
any of the Officers should be absent, to see they are
properly accounted for in the Reports. For the
information of the Corps, forms of the Morning and
Evening Reports are enclosed as precedents These
orders to be copied by each Corps of Yeomanry at
Ferns.

" ' B. E. FITZGERALD, Brigade Major.' "

CHAPTER XII
TROUBLES OF THE CAMOLIN CAVALRY

My dear Orange brothers, have you heard of the news,
How the treacherous Frenchmen our gulls to amuse,
The troops that last April they promised to send,
At length at Killala they ventured to land.
Good Croppies, but don't be too bold now,
Lest you should be all stow'd in the hold now,
Then to Bot'ny you'd trudge, I am told now,
And a sweet orange lily for me.

CONSTITUTIONAL SONG.

SEPTEMBER i. In consequence of the
Brigade Orders received last night, the
Troop paraded at 8 o'clock this morning
fully accoutred, and remained mounted
'till ii o'clock, waiting for the arrival of the Brigade
Major, who did not come, but sent Orders that he
would be at Ferns at 2 o'clock, and also directions to
send of[f] a file of Men to Enniscorthy to inform the
Commanding Officer of Yeomanry that he would be
there at 4 o'clock. About two he arrived, and tho'
the Troop was in readiness, he did not inspect them,
but requested of them to be regular as to their Duty,
&c., &c.

" September 2. One file with dispatches from
Major Gen. Johnson at Waterford, to the Officers
Commanding the Yeomanry Corps stationed at Ferns.

266

TROUBLES OF CAMOLIN CAVALRY 267

By the express, which brought the above, the following
Orders from Gen. Johnson to the Yeomanry stationed
at Ferns, was received, and ordered to be entered in
the Orderly Book :

" ' Head Quarters G. 0. Waterford, August 31,
1798.

" ' It being judged necessary that the Yeomanry
Corps throughout the District should without loss
of time be put upon permanent Duty, I am directed
by Major Gen. Johnson to desire you will take im-
mediate steps for assembling the Corps under your
Command at such place (making it your Head Quar-
ters) as you shall deem most expedient for the pro-
tection and keeping the peace of the District, forming
such Guards and Patroles as you may judge necessary.
You will send a state of your Corps, as soon as possible
to Major Gen. Johnson at Waterford, continuing to
do so every fortnight untill further Orders.

" ' JOHN ROGERS, Acting Brigade Major.'

" Sept. 3. One file with dispatches from B.M.
FitzGerald, Wexford, to the Officers commanding the
Ballakeen, Castletown, Coolgreney, Gorey and Wing-
field Troops of Yeoman Cavalry. By the same express
the following Orders was received :

" ' Brigade Orders. Wexford, Septem r 2, 1798.

" ' Brigade Major FitzGerald begs leave to observe
to the Commanding Officers of the Yeomanry Corps,
that no returns are to go in at present but the Cer-
tificate (No. i) on which an advance of pay will be
issued.

" ' Major FitzGerald received a letter, dated the 30

268 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Ultimo, from the War-office ; He begs the Certificate
(No. i) of Permanent Duty may be sent to him as
expeditiously as possible, in order that He may transmit
them to Dublin.' "

Four days later Lord Mount Norris's Corps were still
in difficulties as regards finances.

" Dear Sir, " Se P tr 6 ' ^

" Whatever orders you have received from
Gen 1 Hunter, should have been sent to me ! The
Corps need not stir from Ferns 'till my Return ! I am
all impatience for the account from M r Mahor, which
M r Blake promised to forward to me on his arrival
in the Country. He left Town on the 29 th of last
month ! He is also to get for me the Commissary's
Account, as the Charges for Forage and Rations are
charged to the Troop and are to be deducted from the
Pay ! Urge Jemmy Blake to Dispatch, for, with the
best Intentions, he is rather indolent. Be assured
that the Corps cannot be more desirous to see their
account than I am to Pay it before them. When they
see it, they will, I am certain, be ashamed of having
been led into a very erroneous Idea of the State of
things. We are very anxious to hear from L d Corn-
wallis, to whom Col 1 Crawford l has shown the way to
Victory, by the Defeat and Slaughter of some hundreds
of Rebels, five of whose Captains were taken.
" Your's faithfully,

"M* NORRIS.

1 Lieutenant-Colonel Crawford (1764-1812). Served in India
under Cornwallis ; mortally wounded at Ciudad Rodrigo ; died the
29th January, 1812.

TROUBLES OF CAMOLIN CAVALRY 269

" The Yeomen have beaten the Rebels at Granard,
tho' the latter were six to one against them L d
Cornwallis is in pursuit of the French, who have
evacuated Castle Bar and gone to Foxford. This Day
they were to be attacked.

" Why don't you order M r Blake to quarters, as he
has not my leave of Absence. If he or any other
Person should disobey, report him or them."

" September 7. An express arrived this day from
Newtown Barry, mentioning that Gen. Lake was
attacked on the morning of the 27 Ult by the French
at a village near Castlebar, 1 and after a smart conflict
the General was compelled to retreat, leaving 6 field
pieces and some ammunition, which fell into the hands
of the Enemy. Night patrole as usual and Report.
Everything perfectly quiet.

" September 10.

" ' Brigade Orders. Wexford, September 7, 1798.

" ' I beg leave to request that you will be particular
in sending me your Morning and Evening Reports of
the Week on the last day of every week, and that you
will keep your Men close in Quarters in order that they
may be ready to parade at half an hour's notice ; and
you will be particularly observant in the compliance of
the Standing Orders, Instructions, and Arangements
directed for the Yeomanry service ; it is necessary
you should attend to the exercise and manoeuvring
pointed out by command of Field Marshal, His Royal
Highness, the Duke of York. His Royal Highness is

1 See ante, p. 256.

270 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

pleased to direct that every officer of Cavalry shall be
provided with a copy of these Regulations.

" ' B. Edw* 1 FITZGERALD, Brigade Major.

' N.B. You will please to observe to practice
firing with Blank Cartridges.'

" An officer and 5 file, accompanied by Captain
Adams, went from hence on an information lodged
against a man named John Murphy, charged upon oath
with having murdered two Loyalists at Vinegar Hill
subsequent to the breaking out of the present Rebellion ;
made close search, but could not find the person so
sworn against. The file which was dispatched with an
express to Newtown Barry this morning returned with
an express from Col. Maxwell to Cap. Adams giving
the pleasing intelligence that Lieut.-Gen. Lake and
the forces under his Command had come up with the
French in the County of Longford, and defeated them
no particulars mentioned.

" September 13. One file with Circular dispatches
from the Brigade Major, to the Officers Commanding
the Castletown, Coolgreny, Ballakeen, Gorey and
Wingfield Cavalry. By the same express the following
Orders were received, and addressed to the Officer
Commanding the Yeoman Cavalry stationed at Ferns.

(Circular)

' Brigade Orders. Wexford, September n, 1798.

' I have to request that you will please to have
a Similar Certificate of No. i filled up and transmitted
to me on the 16 Instant, stating the Numbers to be on
Permanent Duty for the ensuing Month, so that the

271

Certificate may arrive at the War-Office, on or about
the 20, and the Pay be actually in the Agents hands
on the first of the Month according to the late Arange-
ments for Yeomanry Corps on Permanent Duty.

" ' You are requested to send in immediately your
Monthly returns of Ammunition according to the Form
in the Standing Orders, accounting for the Expenditure,
&c., &c.

" ' The Brigade Major requests the different Returns
will be sent in in future regularly, or you may abide
the Consequence.

" ' B. E. FITZGERALD, Major of Brigade.'

" September 14. One file as an escort from hence to
Gorey, with Lieut. Smith and M r James Blake,
Secretary to the Cavalry, to settle the Regimental
Accounts of the Corps with the then Commissary,
the former one, M r Ashe, not to be heard of ; applied
to said Commissary for a Settlement, who said, he
had not a power to settle any accounts of his pre-
decessor M r Ashe, but furnished duplicates of the
receipts passed for Lieut. Smith for Oats, Bread, and
Beef, during said Ashe's time.

" September 17. Between 12 and i o'clock in the
morning the Camp was much alarmed by the firing of
Guns from different parts of the Country, near to the
Camp. Several shots were fired at the Sentry, sup-
posed to be from Miltown, but cannot tell by whom
said shots were fired. The whole of the Militia and
Yeomanry remained armed 'till 7 o'clock.

" September 18. A Serjeant and 6 file went to the
house of Dennis Murphy of Raheenagee, hearing that

272 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

he, the said Murphy, had entertained a Banditti of
People, supposed to be the party who had committed
the robberies on the houses of John Wright of Ballin-
clay, and George and James Graham of Ballydainell on
the night of Sunday the 16 Instant. After making close
search, which was done without effect, the party re-
turned back again to Quarters. This day the following
Orders was received, and addressed to the Officers
Commanding the Yeomanry Corps stationed at Ferns :

" ' Circular. Bri. Orders. Wexford, Septem r 17, 1798.

" ' I beg leave to enclose you Copies of Letters
respecting the Permanent Duty of Yeomanry Corps
in this Country. You will see it clearly explained by
the Letter No. i. The Letter No. 2 I send which will
explain any part of the former Letter, which you may
not understand. It being Circular you will be par-
ticularly carefull that all the Corps in your station
will be officially made acquainted with this Order.
" ' B. EDW. FITZGERALD, M. of B.'

(Circular Letter, No. i.)
< 5i r " ' Dublin Castle, 14 Sept em r 1798.

"'The Lord Lieutenant being anxious to avail
himself of the earliest opportunity of relieving the
Yeomanry from that Duty which they have under-
taken with so much Zeal and Alacrity, I am com-
manded to signify to you that it is His Excellency's
pleasure that the Yeomanry Corps should by Saturday
the 22 Instant, be placed precisely on the same footing
with respect to Permanent Duty as they were on
previous to my Letter of the 29 August. The above

TROUBLES OF CAMOLIN CAVALRY 273

arrangement will be communicated by this Post to the
Generals, but as the circumstances of the Service
may have called several of them from their Districts,
it is his Excellency's desire, that to prevent delay, his
directions on this Subject may be carried into effect
by the Brigade Majors of Yeomanry without further
Instructions, and you will therefore take immediate
measures for this purpose in the District to which you

are attached. ,, , T , ,, TT i_ o o

I have the Honor to be, &c. &c.

" ' CASTLEREAGH.
" ' To Major of Brigade FitzGerald, Wexford.' "

(Circular Letter, No. 2.)

" Letter of the 2gth August, alluded to by Lord
Castlereagh :

< si r " ' Dublin Castle, 29 August, 1798.

" ' It being judged expedient under the present
circumstances of the Country that the Yeomanry
Corps throughout the Kingdom should without loss
of time be put on Permanent Duty, I have the Lord
Lieutenant's commands to desire that you will take
immediate Measures for assembling the Corps in the
District in which you are stationed, at such places,
as the General to whom you are attached shall direct.
" ' I have the Honor to be, &c. &c. &c.
" ' CASTLEREAGH.
" ' To Major of Brigade FitzGerald, Wexford.' "

The next letter from Lord Mount Norris is bitter-
sweet. He has a grievance to air and the news of
additional military forces to relate :

274 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

[September 18, 1798]

" Pray give the enclosed to Johnny Roe ! Captain
Adams, being a superior Officer to you, has a Right
to direct you to make daily returns to him, as I did
to General Needham at Gorey. Therefore you cannot
refuse, with* a Risque of being brought to a Court
Martial, a Complyance with his orders, for you are
certainly under his command. But this Power,
which I am surprised he chooses to exercise, is not
always enforced. It does not proceed from Captain A.
himself, but originates out of kindness, elsewhere. This
will, however, cease when I come to the Country,
which I mean to do as soon as the Month's Returns
to the first of August shall have been paid. Captain
Adams, as far as I have been able to judge of him,
is too much of a Gentleman to render Quarters un-
pleasant to a brother Soldier. Remember me to all
the Corps, and believe me, Dear Sir,

" Your's faithfully,

" M* NORRIS.

" A number of fine Regiments arrived, amounting
to near 20,000 men. The Coast is now well guarded
against Invasion.

" The Reason for the daily returns, is to prevent a
Continuance of those abuses, committed by Yeomen
Captains, who have charged for many non effective
men.

[Address : " Dublin, September Eighteen, 1798.
Lieut* Smyth, Camolin Cavalry, Ferns. Mount
Norris."]

TROUBLES OF CAMOLIN CAVALRY 275

" September 19. An Officer and 12 file went towards
Corrigrua Hill to reconnoitre, and scour that part of
the Country, having heard that there were Rebels
lurking in and about said Hill, but could not dis-
cover any of them.

" September 22.

" ' Brigade Order. Wexford, September 21, 1798.

" ' You have been furnished with a Copy of a Letter
from Lord Castlereagh signifying to you his Excel-
lency's pleasure that you would, after the 22 Instant,
place yourselves on the same footing relative to
Permanent Duty that you were on before the 29
of August last, it being understood by his Excellency
the Lord Lieutenant that you were before that date
put off from Permanent Duty, according to a General
Order.

' It is therefore necessary to inform you that after
the 22 Inst. you will place yourselves on the same
footing you were before the first of May last, observing
the Weekly Exercise.

" ' B. EDW. FITZGERALD, M. of Brigade.'

" Night Patrole as usual and Report. All Quiet
and WeU.

" September 23. This morning the troop paraded
at 10 o'clock and were immediately after marched for
Ballycanew, in order to partake of an entertainment
given them there by their two Lieutenants. In the
Evening the Corps was disembodied, agreeable to the
Order received yesterday from the Brigade Major.
The Loyal Mount Norris Rangers were marched from

276 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Gorey to Camolin, where they were disembodied
also, agreeable to the same Order. 1

" October 5. This day a file of Yeoman Cavalry
from Enniscorthy brought the following Letter from
B. M. FitzGerald, Wexford, and Orders from Major
Gen. Johnson, Waterford.

, Sir " ' Wexford, October 5, 1798.

" ' I have just received an Order from Major
Gen. Johnson, Waterford, desiring I would im-
mediately put the Yeomanry of my District upon
Permanent Duty, a copy of which Order, I take the
liberty of inclosing to you, requesting you will com-
municate it as soon as possible to the Officers of
Camolin Cavalry and Infantry, the former of which
must be stationed at Ferns, the latter at Camolin.
Be so good as to excuse this trouble, which the hurry
of business urges me to.

' ' I have the Honor to be, &c. &c. &c.

" ' B. Eowd FITZGERALD, B.M. Yeom y .
" ' To the Officer Commanding Cavan Militia, Ferns."

Inclosed Order from Major Gen. Johnson, Waterford.

" ' Head Quarters G.O. Waterford, Octo r 4, 1798.

" ' From the present disturbed state of the Country,
I am directed by Major Gen. Johnstone to desire, that
you will without loss of time, put the Yeomanry,
Cavalry and Infantry in your District, upon Permanent
Duty, and that you will send a state of the several
Corps as soon as possible to our Head Quarters at

1 The missing dates are not given in the Detail Book.

TROUBLES OF CAMOLIN CAVALRY 277

Waterford, continuing to do so every fortnight untill
Ordered to the Contrary.

" ' JOHN ROGERS, Acting B.M.

" ' To Major of Brigade FitzGerald, Wexford.' "

" Captain Burro wes of the Cavan Militia, who had the
Command in Ferns, on receiving these Instructions
dispatched Messengers to the Cavalry Officers, and in
return found they had gone to Dublin some days before
on their private affairs, and their return uncertain.
However, the Service suffered no inconvenience on
that account, as all expresses, &c. which arrived, were
forwarded with expedition by some of the Cavalry
who remained in Ferns since they were disembodyed.
Prior to the arrival of the Officers from Dublin, the
Major of Brigade visited Ferns, and not finding the
Corps assembled according to Orders, he left the
following :

" ' Ferns, October 8, 1798.

" ' The Major of Brigade FitzGerald has visited
Ferns this Morning and was astonished not to find
the Corps of Camolin Cavalry and Infantry assembled
according to an Order from Major Gen. Johnstone,
which B. M. FitzGerald conveyed to Ferns by express,
directed to the Officer commanding there. The
Officer or Non-commissioned Officer of the Corps
will send 12 effective Dragoons tomorrow morning at
6 o'clock, each well accoutred under the command of
a non-commissioned Officer, and fully appointed with
Carbines, &c. &c. to Wexford. As soon as the de-

278 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

tachment arrives near town, a Man will be dispatched to
the Brigade Major's Quarters.'

" Agreeable to the above Order, a Serjeant and
6 file marched for Wexford, remained there the chief
part of the Day, and returned to Ferns, without seeing
the Brigade Major, or receiving any Orders from him.

" Two days after the Order arrived from Gen.
Johnson, for putting the Corps on Permanent Duty,
Sir Frederick Flood was favoured with the following
letter, to the same purport :

t( , ~. " ' Newtown Barry, October 7, 1798.

" ' I authorize you to put the whole of Lord
Mount Norris's Corps, Infantry and Cavalry, on
Permanent Duty from tomorrow inclusive, twenty of
the Cavalry to be stationed at Camolin, the remainder
at Ferns.

" ' I have the Honor to be, &c. &c.

" ' ROB* TAYLOR, Brigadier General.'

" Sir Frederick Flood in reply to Brigadier General
Taylor's foregoing letter, stated his wishes to have
at least an equal proportion of the Cavalry stationed
at Camolin as Head Quarters, & received a second
letter from the General, of which the following is a
Copy:

, ~. " ' Newtown Barry, October 9, [1798.]

" ' In answer to your's of this day, with which
I have just been honoured, I am to express that I have
no objection to your making that arrangement of the
Cavalry part of Lord Mount Norris's that you desire.

TROUBLES OF CAMOLIN CAVALRY 270,

I only made the former division of it, on account of
the accommodation, which I was given to understand
was better at one place, than the other.

" ' I have the Honor to be, &c.

" ' ROB* TAYLOR, E.G.
" ' Sir Fred. Flood, Bart. Camolin.' "

Lord Mount Norris has now a really serious complaint
to make :

"Oct r II th 1798.
" Dear Sir,

" I am very sorry you did not call on me in your
Way out of Town, as I had a packet for you. M r
Brigade Major FitzGerald has sent me a Return with
his Observation ' that the number stated of Cavalry
in the Return were not present.' That is, saying
that you and I have certifyed a falsehood. You must
therefore send me up an affidavit, signed by you,
Jones, &c, that all the men, stated in the August Return
were either present or on out Duty by order. Blake's
not sending the Return or Account is shameful. I
expect to hear from you by Return of post, and am

" Your's faithfully,

M* NORRIS.

" You will probably get a Packet from me by post.

" The best thing you can do, is to go off express to
Wexford, and to assure the Brigade Major (what I
pledge my Honor is a fact) that I did not receive his
Letter, with the Return, for my observations ; that
I should have otherwise replyed. You can also
pledge yourself that all the men, you certifyed, were

280 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

present on Duty, except Peter Crannel (sent by his
Direction to Donoughmore) and a few others, who
were on Duty or on furlow. Also that two were ill,
and c d not attend, Nesbit and Newbold. Don't Delay
this Business a moment. Ask Captain Adams's leave.

[Address : " John Smyth Esq re , Ballyduff, Ferns."

"Oct* i8th, 1798.
Dear Sir,

" I am glad you are arrived at last, for your
Absence so long was injurious to the Country, to the
Corps, and to you, as an officer ! But, as you have
now joined I expect that you and John Jones will be
attentive. The Service must not suffer, nor must the
Government be trifled with. M r Blake's not [wishing]
to join is intolerable. M r Nesbit's absenting himself,
whether through Illness or not, is a Hardship [to] his
Brother Troopers. Remember me to them and believe
me faithfully Your's, M t NORRIS."

[Address : " Dublin October Seven 1798. N seven.
L* Smith, Camolin Cavalry, Camolin, Gorey. Mount
Norris."]

" Ocf 23 rd , 1798

" I have no doubt of your Attention and Honor and
those of my Corps. M r Peter Taylor's Reason for
wishing for leave to resign, is very extraordinary,
if any thing can be counted odd in the present times.
A letter from M r FitzGerald, the Brigade Major at
Wexford, contains the following extraordinary Para-
graph : ' Your letter of the n th I would have an-
swered before now, but expected to comply with your

TROUBLES OF CAMOLIN CAVALRY 281

Request of making Enquiries into the certainty of the
number of men being actually present for the Days
stated in the Return, but my attendance in Station
prevented my Intention. Give me leave to assure
your L p I took that Precaution before I made any
Remark on the Return and did question L* Smyth on
the Subject, who acknowledged the number of men
were not actually present. However, I will be happy
to give Lieut. Smith an opportunity of arranging the
mistake, if it is one.' This Paragraph carrys its own
Command, for it charges you with having certifyed a
false Return, which I, depending on your accuracy,
confirmed by my signature, as Captain. It is in-
cumbent on you, as an Officer, to rectify this Business,
as it regards your Honour, as well as that of
" Your humble Svt,

"M* NORRIS.

1 'Till you have rectifyed the gross Error which you
have committed and which you have most ungenerously
led me into, the Pay will be stopped I I would not,
for iooo have had it happened, for it makes you and
me appear in a very awkward Point of View, to which
I cannot submit, as I have been innocently led in by
a man, in whom I confided. Make me an Exact Return
of every man, who absents himself, for I will not be
privy to cheating the publick and Government."

CHAPTER XIII

THE AFTERMATH OF THE REBELLION

The curse which has made that wretched island the world's
by-word is not in Ireland itself, but in the inability of its
conquerors to recognise that, if they take away a nation's
liberty, they may not use it as the plaything of their own
selfishness or their own factions. FROUDE.

concluding letters in the Mount Norris
Correspondence range from the 22nd
November, 1798, to the nth September,*
1803. Although they are not numerous,
the deficiency in quantity is largely atoned by the
interesting quality of the communications. Depreda-
tions continued to be made by the few rebels who
remained unrepentant, and it must be confessed that
the Camolin Cavalry was not particularly successful
in putting a stop to the lawless misdoings of the
insurgents who infested the neighbourhood. There
was also a " rift in the lute " as regards the conduct
of the corps, which justly called forth a stern rebuke
from the Earl. It is satisfactory to note, however,
that almost the last document has a pleasing reference
to " my brave Corps of Yeomen, who did themselves
so much Credit and me so much Honour in the late
cruel Rebellion."

282

AFTERMATH OF THE REBELLION 283

" Nov r 22 d , 1798.

" I am shocked to hear that things are not going
on as they ought, in the Neighbourhood of Camolin.
Those frequent Burnings disgrace our Neighbourhood,
and ought to be put a Stop to ! 1 The Blame will fall
upon those, who I should wish to be free from the
Imputation of winking at the too prevalent Disorders.
I am often asked what my Yeomen are about, to
suffer such nightly Depredations ! Government are
angry, and I should not be surprized if they forbid a
Continuance of our permanent Duty ! I am told that
great Expectations have been raised about the Com-
pensation to be paid to the Loyal Sufferers. But I
have well founded fears that People will not be paid half
their losses. There is no fund yet established, nor is there
any likelyhood of it, as the Claims are too enormous
to be discharged. 2 I am impatient for Blake to come

1 " The Counties of Mayo, Wicklow, and Wexford, are still so
disturbed, that it is impossible, with any effect, to send the King's
commission into them : nothing but martial authority can repress
the daring outrages of the Rebels, who still infest those counties "
(Lord Castlereagh to Mr. Wickham, Phoenix Park, igth November,
1798). See Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. II., p. 8. " I am sorry
to say there are symptoms of returning turbulence in Wicklow,
Kildare, Wexford, Antrim, Down, Tipperary. The French were
expected at Christmas " (Mr. Cooke to Lord Castlereagh, 2oth
December, 1798). See Ibid., Vol. II., pp. 49-50.

* Writing to Pitt four months later (29th March, 1799), Lord
Castlereagh states that above 3,500 loyalists had sent in claims,
involving about 600,000. " As the claimants are in general in the
utmost distress," it was proposed that those who required
sums under 500 should receive one-third. Claims amounting to
311,341 is. 7d. were sent in by the inhabitants of Wexford prior
to the 6th April, 1799 (Taylor, p. 168). See also ante, p. 232. " Per-
haps," says Gordon (p. 203), " if the whole amount of the detri-

284 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

up to Town, to settle the accounts as far as he and I
can now that M r Ashe is not to be found. Tell Chilling-
worth that I will write to him next Post ! Remember
me to all friends. " Your's faithfully,

" M."

[Address : " Dublin November Twenty two 1798.
L* Smith, Camolin Cavalry, Camolin, Gorey. Mount
Norris."]

" Nov r 27 th 1798.

" I am very sorry, my good Sir, to hear that a flag
has been put upon the Church, and am convinced
that whoever placed it there, had no good object in
View, otherwise why not take the Sense of all the
Inhabitants on the occasion, particularly of our worthy
Pastor, who, as well as myself, ought to have been
previously consulted. Jemmy Blake informed me
of the particular State of things, which we all lament,
as every honest man and good Subject must. It is the
Duty of every Loyal Person, to endeavor to quiet
the public Mind, and to bring back the Inhabitants to
their Houses. It is the Wish of Government that
religious controversy should cease, and they will
consider those, who keep the War alive, as Enemies
to their King and Country. I send you a note to my
friend Billy Walsh to supply the needfull to my Men.

" Your's faithfully,

" M* NORRIS.

" Remember me to all Friends. I hear that M r

ment sustained by this unfortunate island, in consequence of the
united conspiracy, were conjectured at two millions, a sum of such
magnitude might not exceed, or even equal the reality."

AFTERMATH OF THE REBELLION 285

Anthony Newbold thinks he is of our Corps, from
which he has been many months struck out, therefore
you must not allow him any pay, as it would be out of
your own pocket.

" If you should receive a Parcel for the late Brigade
Major FitzGerald, forward it by a military Express."

[Address : " Dublin November Twenty seven, 1798.
L* Smith, Camolin, Gorey. Mount Norris."]

"Dear Smyth, "Dublin Jan* 2g th 1799.

" The Proposition for an Union is damned !
I contributed my Aid to the Rejection of a Measure
which my Country decidedly disapproved of. 1 As
the too prevalent Evil of the Day, appears to be a turn
for Robbery, I beg and make it a Point with you, to
give your utmost aid to detect and PUNISH EVERY sort of
Peculation. Anyone, that does otherwise, I can never
consider my friend ; for, till the Property of Individuals
is considered safe, who is considered safe, who can
support a Constitution, which is subjected to the
Pilfering of every nightly Plunderer ? Let us then
support the Honor of a Yeoman who is embodyed to
support the civil Power ! Should any thing new occur,
I hope to hear from you ! This City is perfectly quiet,
and I trust that the public Peace will not be molested
by any attempt at Innovation on the Constitution,
who no one reverences more than I do ! Remember
me to all Friends, in particular to your Son.

" Y" faithfully,

" M* NORRIS.

1 The proposal was rejected in the Irish Parliament in January,
1799.

286 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

" Pray write often to me ! Every occurrence
relative to the County of Wexford interests my
feelings, beyond Expression."

[Address : " Dublin January Twenty nine 1799.
Lieutenant Smyth, Camolin Cavalry, Camolin, Gorey.
Mount Norris."]

" Feb y 9 th [1799]
" Dear Smyth,

" Being obliged to go to London on particular
Business, and having failed in my application ' to
have both my Corps put upon permanent Duty '
(it being contrary to Regulation) I shall not have the
pleasure of seeing you before the middle of next
Month, when Sir Frederick Flood and I are to return
together, to the Country of Wexford. Should the
French Consul put his Threats in force, I shall wheel
back directly to Ireland, even if the News reaches
me on the Road. 1 It is a great Satisfaction to me, to
leave my Corps in your hands, for my opinion of your
Courage and good Conduct can only be equalled by
the Esteem, with which I am,

" Dear Smyth,

" Your's faithfully,

" M* NORRIS.

" I depend on your, hi future, constantly attending
the Parades. Remember me to Tom and to all other
real Friends."

[Address : " Captain Smyth."]

1 The invasion of Ireland was then thought to be imminent.
See Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. II., pp. 162-168, 180, 186,
193-195.

AFTERMATH OF THE REBELLION 287

" Feb y 12, 1799.

" I have omitted to write to you having nothing
particular to communicate. The Idea of an Union
has blown over, nor do I suppose that the Question
. will be again agitated, unless it shall be brought for-
ward by our Countrymen ! You have, I find from
your letter, agreed to take Rockspring, and I sincerely
wish it may answer. Having formed your Plan, it
would be wrong to give you an opinion, tho' I con-
sider it a very great undertaking, which I should
hesitate embarking in even in Times previous to the
Rebellion, and unless I had a capital of 2ooo to build
upon, in Cash. There has not been any payment
made on account of my Corps, but when I receive
any, they shall hear from me. In the meantime,
I should be very sorry that they wanted any thing,
in my power to purchase for them. Remember me
to all my brother Soldiers. Tell Jemmy Blake that
I request to be informed, by the Return of Post,
the times and Places, when and where my Troop
and Company were upon permanent Duty. Your's

faithfully, ... XT

M 1 NORRIS.

[Address : " Dublin February Twelve 1799. Lieut*
Smith, Camolin, Gorey. Mount Norris."]

" Feb y 21 st 1799.
" Dear Sir,

" Of course, the Corps will comply with Gen 1
Taylor's Requisition, as we shall otherwise be put off
from permanent Pay, which would, I am afraid,

288 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

inconvenience them. 1 I am happy to hear that the
Country is quieter ! 2 . . .

" Your's faithfully,

" M "

[Address : " Dublin February Twenty one 1799.
Lieut 1 Smith, Camolin, Gorey. Mount Norris."]

" April 23 d , 1799.

" I am shocked to hear that those nightly Depre-
dators are still plundering in the County of Wexford,
and that they have lately committed two Robberies
at Meadowful. 3 We must search all about Ferns and
in that neighbourhood, also near Ballycanew, as those
Miscreants must be somewhere, and cannot be far off.
Take out a Party of the Cavalry and Infantry to look
for the Things lost, searching every house without
distinction, which will prevent any one's being offended !
Indeed, my good Lieutenant, we will not be allowed
to continue a Corps, if such horrid Acts shall be re-
peated, for we are embodyed to preserve the Peace of
that part of the District, and Blame must and will
attach to us, unless by our Exertions we detect or

1 In May, 1799, Lord Cornwallis "directed the yeomanry
throughout the kingdom to be placed on permanent duty, in order
to guard against the early enterprises of the disaffected, on its being
understood that the enemy are at sea."

1 According to information given voluntarily by Joseph Holt,
details of which will be found in the Castlereagh Correspondence,
Vol. II., pp. 186-187, the rebels had given up meetings, "but they
carry on their plots by writing little notes to one another," and
" encourage the disaffected to enlist in the regiments of Militia."

3 These outrages were presumably committed by the " Babes
in the Wood." See Hay, p. 298.

AFTERMATH OF THE REBELLION 289

prevent Repetition. Say every thing due and ac-
ceptable to all friends from, Dear Smith,
" Your's faithfully,

" Mt NORRIS."
[Address : " Lieut* Smyth, Camolin Cavalry."]

" Head Quarters at Camolin, May I 8t , 1799.

" Ordered that a guard of seven Infantry, one
a non-commissioned Officer and of three Cavalry,
be kept upon Duty, as well by Day as by night, during
the 24 hours. Any person absenting himself, to be
fined two Days pay, which is to form a fund for any
extra appointments that may be deemed requisite
for the Corps. Ordered that the expresses shall
be conveyed by the Camolin Legion, when Camolin
shall be expressed in the Rout[e], and in no other
Case, except by the special Command of the General
of the District, under whose Controul alone the Legion
is to be considered. Should any field Officer pass
through Camolin, an Escort as far as Ferns or Gorey
ought to be given, tho' the aforesaid Officer has no
Right to command it, as the military Regulation is
against it. Any man losing a part of his appoint-
ments must have them replaced out of his pay, for
which the paymaster should stop one shilling per
week 'till the amount shall be discharged. The Sentry
to mount guard at the Door of the commanding officer
present. The second Sentry Box to be mounted at the
guard House door. Any of the Guard who shall be found
in Liquor to be confined 24 hours on Bread and Water,
forfeiting two Days pay for the first offence ; and if

2go THE WAR IN WEXFORD

guilty of said offence a second time, to be sent to
New Town Barry or Gorey to be tryed by Martial
Law. And, for the third Offence, to be fined, confined
and drummed out, first being stripped of his Uniform
&c. Any man, who shall draw his Sword, against
his comrade, to be put under close arrest and to be
tryed by Martial Law. Any man who shall omit to
give the Salute to his Superior Officer to be reprimanded
at the Head of the Corps. Any person behaving dis-
respectfully to his superior Officer to apologise at the
Head of the Corps, which, if he shall refuse to do, he
must be dismissed from the Legion, and rendered
incapable of ever serving again in any Yeomanry
Corps.

" M* NORRIS, Captain of the Camolin Legion."

" Every non commissioned Officer to see that those
men under his immediate command come to Parade
clean and fully accoutred, under the penalty of two
Days pay, which shall be stopped from the Private,
in case it appears that the s d Private refused to comply
with such orders from his superior.

" Ordered, by Command of General Taylor, that
Nicholas Hollinsworth, John Jackaberry and Benjamin
Jackaberry and Robert Lee be dismissed from the
Camolin Cavalry for Neglect of Duty, and that they be
required to deliver up all their appointments under
the Penalty of ten pounds, pursuant to the Yeomanry
Act. M* Norris, Captain of the Camolin Legion,
May I st 1799. Head Quarters, Camolin."

" Whenever a Cavalry man shall be upon Guard,

AFTERMATH OF THE REBELLION 291

it is my Orders that he take the Command for the
night, unless that there shall be a commissioned
Officer of the Infantry present.

" Head Quarters " M* NORRIS,

" at Camolin, " Cap. Cam. Legion."

" May 2 d , 1799 "

" May 22 d , 1799

" You cannot conceive, my Dear Sir, how much
hurt I feel at the late Conduct of the dismounted
men of the Camolin Legion at Ferns. Should they
dare to act in a similar manner again, Government
shall know it and they will be degraded from the
Rank of a Yeoman, which they have disgraced. I
will not participate in that Disgrace, by conniving
at such want of Discipline, such Dishonor to a set
of men who as well as their families are supported
by that Country for the maintainance of whose laws
they were embodyed, and not to trample upon them.
I feel mortifyed that any of my Tennantry, who were
always so respected, should behave in [a] manner,
that degrades human Nature. Let them look to the
Lash, given by Government, to the Infantry of Rath-
farnham, who have been disarmed and dismissed,
as unworthy of serving their King, having turned
Robbers, instead of being the Protectors of their
Neighbours. Write to me soon and often and you
will gratify, Dear Smyth,

*' Your's faithfully,

" M* NORRIS."

" Remember me to all Friends at Norris M* and
Camolin.

292 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

" I depend on your right Attention to the fair of
Camolin, where the buyers and sellers must be pro-
tected. Let the Infantry be kept under Arms the
whole time and whosoever dare to be riotous let
them be marched, with a guard to New Town Barry."

[Address : " Dublin May Twenty three, 1799. L*
Smyth, Camolin, Gorey. Mount Norris."]

" Dear Jack, " Feb " 7- l8 <*>-

" I have given Directions to have three hundred
pounds, besides what was lately paid, to be forthwith
handed to Sir F. Flood, for the Regiment of my Cavalry
and Infantry, whose accounts I mean to settle to
the end of the year. I intended to have gone down
to the Country next Week, but cannot now fix a
time, having a great deal of Business on my Hands.
I have sold my House in Dublin, as my future Plan
is to pass a good deal of my time at Camolin, and as
Gentlemen ought to reside upon their Property.
Besides, my own Inclinations prompt me to spend a
good part of my Income where I receive it. I hope
this will find you and family well. Believe me, Dear
Jack, with Esteem, Your's faithfully,

" MOUNT NORRIS."

[Address : " Dublin, February Seven, 1800. John
Smyth, Esq re ."]

There is a gap of three years in the Correspondence.
The Earl no longer resents the Union, but is deeply
incensed by the conduct of Napoleon, who was now
busily preparing for the invasion of England :

ROBERT KM MET

,11 the collection of Mr. A. M. Kroadlty

AFTERMATH OF THE REBELLION 293

" June 8* h , 1803.

" Nothing has been a more bitter interuption of my
domestick Comforts than the Accounts, which I have
lately received, my Dear Sir, of the sad Riot which
took place at the last Fair of Carnew. How it began
or who were the agressors I have not been able to
ascertain. But, in my opinion, whoever caused the
tumult and whoever did not try to suppress it, deserves
severe reprehension ; and I hope that the keenest
Lash of the Law will lay hold of them and punish
them ! I was in hopes that Party had so far subsided
as to induce People to bury in Oblivion old grudges,
and to consult their own Interest in preserving the
Tranquility of their Country, which must otherwise
become a Province to France, whose gripping Arm
has desolated every Nation on which she has forced
her galling Chains, by Intrigue, by threats, or by her
armies. 1 If we are pleased with our present happy

1 War was declared against France on the i6th May, 1803, and
Bonaparte had announced his intention to invade England. It is
evident that at one time Napoleon seriously thought of sending
an expedition to Ireland. According to a letter from T. A. Emmet,
the brother of the ill-fated Robert, to Dr. McNeven, dated ist
Pluviose, 1804 (2ist January), Napoleon had gone so far as to
dictate a design for the colours, which were to bear the legend,
" L' independence de I' Irelande Liberte de Conscience," which is
surely a proof of his intense political acumen. Robert Emmet's ill-
considered attempt at rebellion was partly based on the belief that
Bonaparte hoped to cross the Channel in August, 1803, and how
impossible this would have been is proved by the fact that but few
of the hundreds of small boats which he ordered to be built for the
project were then on the stocks (see Napoleon and the Invasion of
England, by H. F. B. Wheeler and A. M. Broadley, Vol. II.). Robert
Emmet intended to attack Dublin Castle, secure the Viceroy and
his family, and keep them as hostages. Dwyer, who had taken

294 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Constitution, we should act with Unanimity, and
join hand in hand in defending what every honest
man will consider a common Cause. You have it in
your power to conciliate, and I have no doubt (from
my knowledge of your loyal Principles) of your exert-
ing all your Influence to restrain Impetuosity when
hurryed away by Passion and to counteract the deep
Machinations of those who may wish to mislead the
deluded Multitude by your utmost Endeavours to
conciliate the Commonality, who can at all times be
reduced to a Sense of their Duty should the gentle
Art of Persuasion fail ! I speak as a friend to my

part in the rebellion of '98, was to march from the Wicklow Moun-
tains with 500 or more men, Nicholas Gray was to lead several
thousands of Wexford men to the city, and a general rising was
anticipated, more especially in the counties of Kildare, Wicklow,
Wexford, Carlow, and Kilkenny. On the day of the proposed out-
break Dwyer failed to arrive owing to the non-delivery of a letter
from Emmet, the Kildare men came and went, probably owing to
treachery, and only 200 or 300 Wexford men stayed in Dublin to
await orders. On the 2jrd July, 1803, the eighty confederates who
had gathered at the depot in Marshalsea Lane were wrongly in-
formed that the military were on their track. Determined to sell
his life dearly, Emmet led his none too sober followers towards the
Castle. Practically no order was maintained, murder and theft were
committed with little discrimination, and the climax was reached
by the cold-blooded assassination of Lord Kilwarden, Chief Justice
of the King's Bench, and his nephew. Emmet fled to the Wicklow
mountains, but wishing to see Sarah Curran, to whom he was pas-
sionately attached, he indiscreetly made his way to Harold's
Cross. He was arrested there on the 2$th August, and executed
on the 2Oth of the following month. The memory of Sarah Curran
is kept green in Moore's sympathetic poem, beginning :

" She is far from the land where her young hero sleeps,

And lovers around her are sighing ;
But she coldly turns from their gaze and weeps,
For her heart in his grave is lying."

AFTERMATH OF THE REBELLION 295

native Island ! Whenever required I intend to head
my brave Corps of Yeoman, who did themselves so
much Credit and me so much Honour in the late cruel
Rebellion. I beg you will immediately let me have
or let Jemmy Blake send me an exact Statement of
my Cavalry and infantry and of their appointments,
writing to my friend, our Brigade Major (in the most
urgent Terms) to have all Deficiencies replaced. As
to the Politics of this Kingdom, however Individuals
may differ, they are united in an unanimous Deter-
mination to give every energy to the executive Power.
Our fleets were never in a more flourishing Situation,
and such a Spirit has been imbibed by our Tars and
our Soldiery as will make the Emperor of Gaul tremble
pn his Throne at the Tuileries, for I have no Doubt of
the Event of this War of Necessity. Our Motto is
to be, ' Death before Dishonour.' Remember me to
all friends, in particular to Tom. Send your Answer
under Cover to the Hon ble George Cavendish, Treasury,
Dublin. Believe me, with Esteem,
" Dear Smyth,

" Your's faithfully,

" M* NORRIS."

" Dublin Sep tr n th , 1803.
" Dear Smyth,

" I landed last night, after a Passage of thirty
six Hours ! You must immediately let me know
what Deficiencies there are in the appointments of
the Camolin Cavalry, as I shall only defer my Return
to my Corps, 'till I can obtain them from the proper

296 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

offices. I request your answer by Return of Post !
Your's with Esteem,

" very faithfully,

" M* NORRIS.

" Best Comp ts to Tom. 1 Remember me to rny Corps,
whom I long to be with."

[Address : " Captain Smyth."]

1 In a letter dated " Febx i8 th 1810," to "Dear Smyth,"
Lord Mount Norris says that the departure of Brownrigg of Norris
Mount from the County of Wexford " enables me to comply with
your's and my young friend Tom's wish ' that you should succeed
him in the Command of the M l Norris Rangers.' I comply with
particular Pleasure." That the corps was still in existence in
1814 is proved by a letter from the Earl to the same correspondent,
and dated "London, Jan? 28 th ." The former had "escaped from
the Jaws of Death," but he states that " I am likely to again visit
my native Country, where I look forward with infinite pleasure to
joining you and my respectable Cavalry, of whom I often think."

CHAPTER XIV
WHO WAS TO BLAME?

A general review of the History of Ireland presents few features
that will gratify the pride of a native or the feelings of an
Englishman. Conquered, without being subdued, a wild and
unruly spirit of independence flickered amongst the chieftains
from age to age, unextinguished by a deluge of blood : the
faith pledged to the victors was broken at every favourable
opportunity ; revolt succeeded revolt, and what was by one
party considered as treason and rebellion, was by the other
regarded as just, or at least justifiable : this proceeded from
an imperfect and individual, rather than an universal conquest.

T. CROFTON CROKER.

Rt. Hon. James Bryce has given it
as his opinion that there is "no parallel
in modern history to the conduct of those
who ' restored order ' in 1798-9, except
that of the Jacobin party in France during the Terror
of 1793, and if there was more bloodshed during the
Terror in France, there was more torture during the
Terror in Ireland." 1 That there were wild excesses
on both the Royalist and " Patriotic " sides will be
admitted by all who have read any of the numerous
contemporary narratives, many of which have been
referred to in this volume. Certainly the melodramatic,

1 Two Centuries of Irish History, 1691-1870. With Introduc-
tion by James Bryce, M.P. (1888), p. xxv.

297

298 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

if somewhat inaccurate drawings, by George Cruik-
shank in Maxwell's History, have scared some of us
since childhood. A careful examination of the many
authorities makes it appear probable, in the opinion
of the present writers, that the men of Wexford, in
whose beautiful county the flames of Rebellion raged
fiercest, would never have resorted to arms had it
not been for the outrages of the soldiery in the first
instance.

" The atrocities on both sides were horrible," to
quote Mr. Bryce again, " yet the massacres perpe-
trated by the peasantry at Vinegar Hill yield to the
hideous cruelties in which the Orangemen revelled,
and which the Government refused to repress or
punish." - 1 Dr. George Sigerson sums up the case in
no less unmistakable language :*" Lord Charlemont 3
said : ' A rebellion of slaves is always more bloody
than an insurrection of freemen.' The rebellion in
Wexford justified the saying. Under no military
control, undisciplined, and practically unled ; goaded
to revolt by intolerable barbarity, they flew to arms,
without preparation, as a desperate resource. Such
a struggle inevitably exhibited some of the features
of a jacquerie. The peasants, refused quarter them-

1 Two Centuries of Irish History, ibgi-iSfo. With Introduc-
tion by James Bryce, M,P. (1888), p. xxv.

a Ibid., p. 1 66.

3 James Caulfeild (1728-1799), fourth Viscount and first Earl
of Charlemont. He rendered conspicuous service in commanding
the levies raised for the defence of Belfast after Carrickfergus had
been occupied by the French in February, 1760. Commander-in-
chief of the Irish Volunteers, 1780; President of the Volunteer
Convention held at Dublin, 1783.

JAMES CAUI.KE1LI), EARL OF CHARI.EMONT

From the collection of Mr. A. M. Rroadliy

WHO WAS TO BLAME ? 299

selves, often gave none, and on some occasions com-
mitted acts of outrage and horror, in murderous
retaliation, on their foes. Their leaders, clerical and
lay, Protestant and Catholic, did their utmost to
control them, and were generally successful. But,
in some instances, the insurgents unhappily imitated
the example of the regular soldiery ; and, flushed
with momentary success, wreaked a dreadful vengeance
on the instruments of the tyrants by whom they had
long been oppressed and degraded. . . . The truth
is, outrages were not committed by rebels until they
had been taught innumerable lessons in barbarity
by their foes."

The correspondence of Viscount Castlereagh, 1 who
undertook the arduous duties of Chief Secretary to
Lord Camden during Mr. Pelham's illness, and sub-
sequently succeeded to the office and served under
the Marquess Cornwallis, contains many allusions to
the matter. Drastic precautions had to be taken to
prevent the troops from imbibing too freely, a temp-
tation common in all warfare, but particularly harm-
ful in Ireland at that time, when the whisky was fiery
and of none too good a quality. Before the rebellion

1 His Memoirs, especially the first two volumes, have been laid
under severe contribution by the present writers, for Castlereagh
bore much of the burden and heat of the day. If Lord Brougham
in his Historical Sketches of the Statesmen of the Reign of George III.
delivers him to Pilate on some points, he does not find it necessary
to sit in judgment on the affairs of the rebellion. " Lord Castle-
reagh," he writes, " uniformly and strenuously set his face against
the atrocities committed in Ireland ; and that to him, more than
perhaps any one else, was to be attributed the termination of the
system stained with blood. . . ." (p. 126).

300 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

began Lieutenant-General Ralph Dundas was com-
pelled to have a large quantity of liquor destroyed,
" without which the troops would have got drunk,
and done much mischief." * An officer of the Guards
writing from Waterford on the 2Qth August, 1798,
complained to the Duke of Portland of the outrageous
behaviour of the Irish Militia, who plundered in-
discriminately, terrorised the inhabitants, and got
almost out of hand. " All confidence is lost wherever
they make their appearance," he adds, and remarks
that " drunkenness is prevalent beyond anything

1 ever witnessed before ; and I am sorry to say our
non-commissioned officers are not clear of this vice." 2
In the covering letter mention is made of " salutary
measures, which his Excellency [the Lord-Lieutenant]
will probably find it necessary to take for the re-
establishment of order and discipline in the Irish
army." 3

Sir Ralph Abercromby, who was Commander-in-
Chief in Ireland from December, 1797 to March, 1798,
frankly admitted that he was disgusted with the
behaviour of the army, and the testimony of the
hero of Aboukir and Alexandria is not easily set aside.

Here is an excerpt from an order dated the 26th
February, 1798, three months to a day before the
rebel standard was raised in Wexford, which blurts

1 Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. I., p. 188. Letter from Lieut.-
General R. Dundas to Sir R. Abercromby, dated Castle Martin,

2 jrd April, 1798.

* Extract from a letter, dated 29th August, 1798. Ibid.,
Vol. I., p. 342.

3 Mr. Wickham to Lord Castlereagh, dated Whitehall, loth
September, 1798. Ibid., Vol. I., p. 341.

WHO WAS TO BLAME? 301

out incontestable facts in no compromising fashion,
and had much to do with the General's subsequent
recall. When truth is hauled up from the bottom of
the well in which it is supposed to hide somebody
suffers, usually the man at the winch. The path of
the reformer in military matters is perilous in the
extreme, whether it is traversed in 1798, 1898, or
1908. Abercromby comments on " the frequency of
courts-martial and the many complaints of irregu-
larities in the conduct of the troops in this kingdom
having too unfortunately proved the army to be in
a state of licentiousness which must render it for-
midable to every one but the enemy, the Commander-
in-chief thinks it necessary to demand from all Generals
commanding districts and brigades, as well as com-
manding officers of regiments, that they exert them-
selves and compel from all officers under their com-
mand the strictest and most unremitting attention
to the discipline, good order, and conduct of their
men, such as may restore the high and distinguished
reputation which the British troops have been ac-
customed to enjoy in every part of the world. It
becomes necessary to recur and most pointedly to
attend to the standing orders of the kingdom, which
at the same time that they direct military assistance
to be given at the requisition of the civil magistrate,
positively forbid the troops to act (except in case of
attack) without his presence and authority, and the
most clear and precise orders are to be given to the
officer commanding the party for this purpose, . . ." l

1 Diary of Sir John Moore, Vol. I., p. 283.

302 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

This order, in the opinion of Jacks in and out of office,
contradicted that of Lord Carhampton which gave
the military the right to act on their own initiative
and without resorting to a magistrate. 1 However,
the Lord- Lieutenant in Council proclaimed the whole
kingdom to be in rebellion, and Abercromby had no
alternative but to issue an order giving that military
licence to which he had so rooted an objection. 2
Cranmer burnt the hand that had offended, and the
Commander-in-chief forthwith tendered his resig-
nation. In commenting on this occurrence in his
Diary, Abercromby's colleague notes that " Those
who have the government of the country sefim to
have no plan or system but that of terrifying the
common people ; they will give you every power to
act against them, but the rest of the community are
to be indulged in every abuse." Moore himself was
tired of the sickening business and asked to be re-
called. " The measures likely to be adopted will be
most odious, and whoever attempts to execute them
with lenity or moderation risks giving displeasure and
being ruined." 3

Repeated representations were made to Lord Cam-
den, with the result that he gave instructions to
General Lake, who succeeded Abercromby, that
troops were not to live at free quarters for any length
of time, as " the loyal and well-affected have in many

1 See ante, Chapter I., p. 33.

a See Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. I., pp. 164, 168-169.
3 Diary of Sir John Moore, Vol. I., p. 288, under date, Bandon,
1 6th April [1798].

WHO WAS TO BLAME? 303

instances suffered in common with the disaffected,
from a measure which does not admit in its execution
of sufficient discrimination of persons. . . ." l Lake
was therefore to " adopt such other vigorous and
effectual measures for enforcing the speedy surrender
of arms as in your discretion you shall think fit, and
which shall appear to you not liable to these ob-
jections." 2 We know that Lake carried out his in-
structions to the letter ; his was no sparing hand.
" The measure of ' free quarters/ ' says his bio-
grapher in mitigation of the General's methods,
" was ordered by Lord Camden, the Governor-General
in Ireland, and not by the military authorities, who
merely carried out the orders of the civil power."
He adds : "It appears, unhappily, clear that in
Wexford, at least, the misconduct of the militia and
yeomanry, and particularly that of a corps of German
cavalry and of the Welsh corps known as the Ancient
Britons, was largely to blame for the outbreak. No
Englishman can read the accounts of what was done
in that county before the outbreak without profound
regret, nor can any consolation be derived from a
catalogue of the subsequent horrors perpetrated by
the rebels. It can only be said that cruelty and
oppression produced a yet more savage revenge." 3

Desertion to the rebels was by no means infrequent,
and when the Bill of Pardon was being drafted it

1 Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. I., p. 189.

z Lord Castlereagh to Lieut.-General Lake, dated Dublin Castle,
25th April, 1798. Ibid., Vol. I., p. 189.

3 Memoirs of the Life and Military Services of Viscount Lake,
pp. 88 and 95.

304 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

was proposed to except from clemency all who had
joined the insurgents and those who had administered
illegal oaths, " this description of yeomen being the
active seducers of their own body, and, in many in-
stances, having entered into the service expressly
for the purpose." 1 In the early days of the outbreak
there was not much cause for complaint on this score,
the militia acting with " the most determined spirit,"
and a few corps of yeomanry only having been cor-
rupted. These facts seem to have somewhat sur-
prised the authorities at Dublin Castle. " In this
point of view," writes Castlereagh to Mr. Wickham,
" the insurrection, if repressed with energy, will
have proved an invaluable test of our national force,
on the disaffection of which our enemies either actually
did, or professed, very extensively to rely." 2 Three
months later Camden was complaining of the mis-
behaviour of the Longford and Kilkenny regiments,
and not without reason, for over 100 of the rank-and-
file eventually deserted to the rebels, while the state
of the army was " very alarming." 3 Lord Cornwallis,
who never censured without reason and was in-
clined to smooth things over whenever possible,
was obliged to call attention at head-quarters to the
disgraceful conduct of the 5th Dragoons, and both the
King and the Duke of York advised the "breaking"

1 Lord Castlereagh to Mr. Wickham, dated Dublin Castle,
3Oth July, 1798. Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. I., p. 244.

2 Dated Dublin Castle, i2th June, 1798. Ibid., Vol. I., pp.
219-220.

3 Lord Camden to Castlereagh, dated Walmer Castle, 25th
September, 1798. Ibid., Vol. I., p. 378.

WHO WAS TO BLAME? 305

of the regiment. 1 On another occasion he writes : " I
am much afraid that any man in a brown coat who is
found within several miles of the field of action, is
butchered without discrimination." 2 A more damning
admission it is impossible to conceive.

Of the unjustifiable attempts of magistrates to
exact information the less said the better. The no-
torious case of High Sheriff Thomas Judkin Fitz-
gerald of Tipperary is perhaps the most glaring in-
stance. His zeal was second only to his cruelty,
and he displayed such passion towards sinner and
innocent alike, that an action was brought against
him in the early days of 1799, which he lost. The
House of Commons also debated the matter. The
lash was Fitzgerald's favourite instrument of torture,
and he used it with an unsparing hand to induce
suspected persons to reveal secrets. At Clonmel he
sentenced a Mr. Wright to be flogged, confined him
in jail, refused him medical attendance for several
days, and when the worm turned had to pay him
compensation to the extent of 500. This inhuman
representative of law and order received a vote of
thanks from the Grand Jury of Tipperary for the
active part he had taken in suppressing the rebellion. 3
Sir John Moore witnessed such another flogging in
the open street when he was passing through Clogheen
on his way to Waterford. With bowed knees and

1 Lord Camden to Castlereagh, dated Arlington Street, isth
January, 1799. Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. II., p. 112.

2 To the Duke of Portland, dated Dublin Castle, 28th June,
1798. Cornwallis Correspondence, Vol. II., p. 357-

3 Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 277.

306 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

bared heads the country people were witnessing
the unseemly spectacle, probably wondering whose
turn it was next. Fitzgerald was exacting in-
formation with the aid of the lash. Moore tells
us that he had " already flogged truth out of several
respectable persons, who had confessed themselves
to be generals, colonels, captains, &c., of the rebels.
The rule was to flog each person till he told
the truth and gave the names of other rebels.
These were then sent for and underwent a similar
operation. Undoubtedly several persons were thus
punished who richly deserved it. The number flogged
was considerable. It lasted all the forenoon. That
some were innocent I fear is equally certain. Mr.
FitzGerald, however, is considered as an active good
magistrate, and it is universally allowed that he will
soon restore perfect tranquillity. There must be
persons who disapprove of such promiscuous and
severe punishments. I am convinced that Mr. Fitz-
Gerald is acting conscientiously, and conceives he
deserves praise ; he said so to the people assembled
in a long speech, which was received with shouts and
' God save the King ' " 1 According to Miles Byrne,
" Archibald Hamilton Jacob and the Enniscorthy
yeomen cavalry never marched out of the town
without being accompanied by a regular executioner,
with his ropes, cat-o'-nine-tails, etc. Hawtry White,
Solomon Richards, and a Protestant minister of the
name of Owens were all notorious for their cruelty
and persecuting spirit ; the latter particularly so,

1 Diary of Sir John Moore, Vol. I., pp. 294-295.

WHO WAS TO BLAME? 307

putting on pitch caps, and exercising other tor-
ments." *

Gordon, the Protestant historian, and probably
the most reliable of them all, cannot find excuse for
the barbarous means often employed to bring suspects
to their senses. He also confesses that he is unable to
venture an opinion as to whether these acts of severity
actually brought the insurrection to a head. Gordon
asserts, however, that " In the neighbourhood of
Gorey, if I am not mistaken, the terror of the whippings
was in particular so great, that the people would
have been extremely glad to renounce for ever all
notions of opposition to government, if they could
have been assured of permission to remain in a state
of quietness." He instances the case of a man named
Dennis M'Daniel, which came under his own ob-
servation. This poor fellow, who was a labourer, con-
fessed to him that he had taken the United Irishmen's
oath and paid is. 7|d. for a pike which was not in his
possession. Gordon advised him to surrender to a
magistrate, which was the usual course, but this he
refused to do because of the thrashing usually ad-
ministered to those who could not produce a weapon
or state where it could be found. M'Daniel was
therefore told to remain quietly at home, which he
did, but so great was his fear of punishment that he
fell down dead a few days later near Gordon's house. 2

1 Memoirs of Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 23. In the general retreat
from Wexford Jacob made good his escape to Waterford, and from
thence to England (see Hay, p. 118).

* Gordon, pp. 88-89.

3o8 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

The same authority also tells us that " A mode of
proceeding against imputed rebels, more summary
still than that of trials by court-martial, was practised
from the commencement of the rebellion by soldiers,
yeomen, and supplementaries, who frequently executed
without any trial such as they judged worthy of death,
even persons found unarmed in their own houses.
This practice of the soldiery and yeomen, which, con-
ducted with too little discrimination of guilt and
innocence, denied safety at home to the peaceably
inclined, augmented for a time the numbers of the
rebels, and would, on their dispersion, have in great
measure depopulated the country, if it had not been
restrained by the just policy of government, on the
appointment of the Marquis Cornwallis, in place of
Lord Camden, to the Lord Lieutenancy of Ireland. . . .
The earlier appointment of such a Viceroy might have
prevented rebellion, and consequently the loss of
thousands of lives and of immense property to the
kingdom. His activity and wisdom, in the discharge
of his high function, soon exhibited a new phenomenon
in a country where the viceroyalty had been generally
a sinecure, and the Viceroy a pageant of State." l
He adds on a later page of his interesting volume :
" The devastation and plundering sustained by the
loyalists was not the work of the rebels alone. Great
part of the damage was committed by the soldiery,
who commonly completed the ruin of deserted houses,
in which they had their quarters, and often plundered
without distinction of loyalist and croppy. ... By

1 Gordon, pp. 188-189.

WHO WAS TO BLAME? 309

what influence the plundering was permitted so long
to the soldiery, in some parts of the country, after
the rebellion was quelled, I shall not at present pre-
tend to state. The publication of some facts, of which
I have acquired information, may not perhaps be as
yet safe." x

Authentic instances of the ferocious character of
the soldiery could be multiplied until they filled a
volume, but the reader is referred to the records of
Hay, Teeling, Holt, Taylor, Byrne, Gordon, and many
others. Although some of them are violent partisans
of the rebels, it is obvious that when the same stories
are repeated they cannot all be based on myth. Often
little or no quarter was given, houses were set on
fire, villages were pillaged, women outraged, and
children brutally treated. Lecky singles out for
special mention in this direction the North Cork
Militia, the Welsh Regiment of Ancient Britons,
and two Hessian regiments. 2 Of the yeomanry corps
perhaps that of Hunter Gowan, a magistrate who
commanded a band of bloodthirsty individuals nick-
named the " black mob," 3 is the most notorious.

The North Cork Militia was commanded by Lord
Kingsborough, and consisted largely of Orangemen.

1 Gordon, p. 197.

2 Lecky, Vol. IV., p. 275. See also Gordon (p. 197), who re-
marks : " The Hessians exceeded the other troops in the business
of depredation ; and many loyalists who had escaped from the
rebels, were put to death by these foreigners. To send such troops
into the country in such a state of affairs, was, in my humble opinion,
a wrong step in government, who cannot be supposed indifferent to
the lives of loyal subjects."

3 Memoirs of Miles Byrne, Vol. I., p. 24.

310 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Their favourite mode of obtaining information from
suspects was by means of a cap of linen or brown
paper, profusely covered with pitch, which was heated
and placed on the head of the unfortunate victim.
To get the pitch-cap off was as difficult as it was
painful, and one can easily believe that not only
the hair, but parts of the scalp were frequently torn
off in the process. Anyone who wore his hair short
was immediately dubbed a United Irishman, that
being one of their distinguishing marks, although an
extremely foolish one, and as such was regarded as
legitimate quarry. This was but one of the methods
of warfare utilised by the North Cork Militia, and
according to Edward Hay, no responsible person ever
interfered. 1 Gordon instances the case of a soldier
of the Downshire Militia in plain clothes who was ill-
used by the North Cork men because they mistook
him for a " croppy." Three officers and many soldiers
were wounded in the fray which ensued, and the
result would have been even more serious had not
the former succeeded in getting their recalcitrant
troops under control. 2 " The wearing of the green "
also aroused suspicion, from which members of the
fair sex were not exempt.

Although it cannot be said that Sir John Moore
had any great belief in his fellow-men his Diary
certainly reveals him a confirmed pessimist his
sincerity cannot be doubted in the actual records

1 History of the Insurrection, etc., pp. 57-59.

2 Gordon, pp. 58-59. This incident happened in Wicklow, April,
1798.

WHO WAS TO BLAME? 311

he has left of the stormy days of '98. The rebel
historians, as we have already noticed, invariably
speak of him as a man of honour and considerably
less of a barbarian than Lake ; indeed, it would not
be far wrong to say that they regard him with some-
thing approaching affection. After helping to take
St. Lucia in 1796 while serving in Sir Ralph Aber-
cromby's expedition to the West Indies, Moore
had been made Governor of the island, from which
he returned, somewhat broken in health and spirits,
in the summer of the following year. When Aber-
cromby was appointed Commander-in-Chief in Ireland
Moore was asked to join his staff "as a brigadier," and
on 2nd December, 1797, he landed at Dublin. From
Cove he was removed to Bandon, where he took over
a command of upwards of 3,000 men, who were " con-
sidered as the advanced corps of the south," l invasion
being thought highly probable if not actually imminent.
From the beginning he saw the injustice of many of
the acts of those in authority. Individuals arrested
upon suspicion and exiled ; districts proclaimed and
the military put upon free quarters all are duly
noted. " By these means the disturbances have been
quelled," he notes on the loth January, 1798, " an
apparent calm produced, but the disaffection has been
undoubtedly increased. The gentlemen in general,
however, still call out aloud for violent measures as the
most proper to be adopted, and a complete line seems
to be drawn between the upper and lower orders." 2

1 The Diary of Sir John Moore, Vol. I., p. 272.
8 Ibid, Vol. I., p. 271.

312 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

He finds the men under his command, many of
whom were Militia, " upon the whole well-behaved,"
but with " no sort of respect for their officers," who
" are in general profligate and idle." l " The officers
of the Militia," he adds, " are in general Protestants,
the men Roman Catholics. The hatred between these
different persuasions is inveterate to a degree, and
the officers have so little sense or prudence as not to
conceal their prejudices." z To Moore, who hated
the strife of sects, and might well have asked with
Carlyle, " Why should we misknow one another,
fight not against the enemy but against ourselves,
from mere difference of uniform ? " 3 this was well-
nigh intolerable. Moore maintains that whereas
the Roman Catholics had been " enemies to the
liberty and constitution of these kingdoms," the
objection had ceased to maintain for many years.
" Can it then be sound policy in a Government to
favour one part of its inhabitants against nineteen
that are oppressed ? Every man is oppressed to
whom the privileges of his fellow-citizens are denied.
That so much has been granted to the Roman Catholics
is a bad argument for withholding from them the little
that remains." 4 A few days after Moore had com-
mitted this opinion to the privacy of his Diary he
had occasion to speak to his troops on some meetings

1 Diary of Sir John Moore, Vol. I., p. 273 ; see also pp. 277 and
281 in this connection.

2 Ibid., p. 274.

8 On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History (Ed.
Chapman and Hall, 1893), p. in.

* Diary of Sir John Moore, Vol. I., p. 275.

WHO WAS TO BLAME? 313

of "Orange boys" which had been held. He told them
very plainly that " for a man to boast or be proud
of his religion was absurd. It was a circumstance in
which he had no merit ; he was the one or the other
because his parents were so before him, and it was
determined for him before he had a choice. Any
man might fairly pride himself upon being just and
honest, but not on his religion. If they followed the
doctrines of the one or the other they would be good
and upright." 1

When Moore received instructions in April, 1798,
to disarm the Carberries, 2 he remarks : " The better
sort of people seemed all delighted with the operation
except when it touched their own tenants, by whose
ruin they saw they themselves must suffer, but they
were pleased that the people were humbled, and would
be civil. I found only two gentlemen who acted with
liberality or manliness ; the rest seemed in general
to be actuated by the meanest motives. The common
people have been so ill-treated by them, and so often
deceived, that neither attachment nor confidence
any longer exists. They have yielded in this instance
to force, are humbled, but irritated to a great degree,
and unless the gentlemen change their conduct and
manner towards them, or Government steps in with
regulations for the protection of the lower from the
upper order, the pike will appear again very soon." 3

A few quotations from the correspondence of Lord

1 Diary of Sir John Moore, Vol. I., p. 280.

2 The country which lies from Crookham along the coast to
Bandon.

3 Diary of Sir John Moore, Vol. I., p. 290.

314 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Cornwallis, who found his position as Lord- Lieutenant
of Ireland altogether devoid of the brilliancy of the
latter-day Viceregal Court and that of Commander-
in-Chief far from enviable, may not be out of place.
In endeavouring to arrive at a thorough understanding
of a case prolixity has its use even in a court of law,
and we are bound to admit that the evidence in this
historical retrospect is extremely and embarrassingly
voluminous.

Writing on the ist July, 1798, he confides to Major-
General Ross that " The violence of our friends,
and their folly in endeavouring to make it a religious
war, added to the ferocity of our troops who delight
in murder, most powerfully counteract all plans of
conciliation." * Seven days later he tells the Duke
of Portland that " The Irish militia are totally with-
out discipline, contemptible before the enemy when
any serious resistance is made to them, but ferocious
and cruel in the extreme when any poor wretches
either with or without arms come within their power ;
in short, murder appears to be their favourite pas-
time." 2 Lord Cornwallis had no better to say of
the yeomanry. " The overt rebellion is certainly
declining, . . . but the whole country is in such a
state that I feel frightened and ashamed whenever
I consider that I am looked upon as being at the head
of it. Except in the instances of the six state trials 3
that are going on here [Dublin], there is no law either

1 Cornwallis Correspondence, Vol. II., p. 357.
8 Dublin Castle, 8th July, 1798. Ibid., p. 359.
8 Of Henry and John Sheares, Byrne, Maccan, Bond, and
Neilson for high treason. They were all concerned in the rebellion.

WHO WAS TO BLAME? 315

in town or country but martial law, and you know
enough of that to see all the horrors of it, even in
the best administration of it, judge then how it must
be conducted by Irishmen heated with passion and
revenge. But all this is trifling compared to the
numberless murders that are hourly committed by
our people without any process or examination what-
ever. The yeomanry are in the style of the Loyalists
in America, only much more numerous and powerful,
and a thousand times more ferocious. These men
have saved the country, but they now take the lead
in rapine and murder. The Irish militia, with few
officers, and those chiefly of the worst kind, follow
closely on the heels of the yeomanry in murder and
every kind of atrocity, and the Fencibles take a share,
although much behindhand with the others. The
feeble outrages, burnings, and murders which are still
committed by the Rebels, serve to keep up the san-
guinary disposition on our side ; and as long as they
furnish a pretext for our parties going in quest of
them, I see no prospect of amendment.

" The conversation of the principal persons of
the country all tend to encourage this system of blood,
and the conversation even at my table, where you
will suppose I do all I can to prevent it, always turns
on hanging, shooting, burning, &c., &c., and if a
priest has been put to death the greatest joy is
expressed by the whole company. So much for
Ireland and my wretched situation," 1

1 Major-General Ross. Dublin Castle, 24th July, 1798. Ibid.,
P- 37i-

316 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

When Humbert and his men arrived on the scene,
the disaffection in the militia regiments still continued,
and the disgraceful behaviour at " the races of Castle-
bar " has been referred to briefly in an earlier chapter.
Writing from Balinamore on the 3ist August, Captain
Taylor tells Lord Castlereagh that " Every endeavour
has been used to prevent plunder in our corps, but
it really is impossible to stop it in some of the regi-
ments of militia with us, particularly the light bat-
talions." l He affirms that the women were " far the
greatest plunderers," but they had now been left
behind. On the same day the Viceroy was forced to
issue General Orders asking all officers " to assist
him in putting a stop to the licentious conduct of
the troops, and in saving the wretched inhabitants
from being robbed, and in the most shocking manner
ill-treated by those to whom they had a right to look
for safety and protection. Lord Cornwallis declares,
that if he finds that the soldiers of any regiment
have had opportunities of committing these excesses
from the negligence of their officers, he will make those
officers answerable for their conduct ; and that if
any soldiers are caught either in the act of robbery,
or with the articles of plunder in their possession,
they shall be instantly tried, and immediately exe-
cution shall follow their conviction." 2 After the
surrender of the French forces he thanked the army
for its zeal, spirit, perseverance, and meritorious
exertions, and concluded with a special reference to

1 Cornwallis Correspondence, Vol. II., p. 396.
8 Ibid., p. 397.

WHO WAS TO BLAME? 317

the good conduct of the yeomanry, who " have
rendered the greatest services, and are particularly en-
titled to the acknowledgment of the Lord-Lieutenant,
from their not having tarnished that courage and
loyalty, which they displayed in the cause of their
King and country, by any acts of wanton cruelty
towards their deluded fellow-subjects." 1

Lord Holland, writing from the Whig point of view,
naturally sides with the insurrectionists, but he ad-
mits that " The propensity to exaggeration, common
to all Irishmen, renders it extremely difficult to
ascertain the exact truth as to any transaction in
that country." 2 It is an " incontrovertible " fact,
he assures us, " that the people of Ireland were driven
to resistance, which possibly they meditated before,
by the free quarters and the excesses of the soldiery,
which were such as are not permitted in civilised
warfare, even in an enemy's country." 3 The noble-
man whose name is inseparably associated with the
brilliant Holland House circle pours scorn on the trials
under martial law, and he would have us believe that
Justice sat deaf as well as blindfolded when they were
being held. " It often happened," he says, " that
three officers composed the Court, and that of the
three, two were under age, and the third an officer of
the Yeomanry or Militia, who had sworn in his Orange
Lodge eternal hatred to the people over whom he

1 General Orders. Head-quarters, Camp near St. Johnstown.
9th September, 1798. Cornwallis Correspondence, Vol. II., pp. 403-4.

2 Memoirs of the Whig Party during my Time, Vol. I., p. 112.

3 Ibid., p. 113.

3i8 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

was thus constituted a judge. Floggings, picketings,
death, were the usual sentences, and these were some-
times commuted into banishment, serving in the
fleet, or transference to a foreign service. Many were
sold at so much per head to the Prussians. 1 Other
less legal, but not more horrible, outrages were daily
committed by the different corps under the command
of Government. Even in the streets of Dublin, a
man was shot and robbed of 30^. on the loose recol-
lection of a soldier's having seen him in the battle of
Kilcally, and no proceeding was instituted to ascertain
the murder or prosecute the murderer. Lord Wycombe,
who was in Dublin, and who was himself shot at by a
sentinel between Black Rock and that city, wrote to
me many details of similar outrages, which he had
ascertained to be true. Dr. Dickson (Bishop of
Down) 2 assured me that he had seen families re-
returning peaceably from mass assailed, without
provocation, by drunken troops and yeomanry, and
the wives and daughters exposed to every species of
indignity, brutality, and outrage, from which neither
his remonstrances, nor those of other Protestant
gentlemen, could rescue them." 3

Sir Jonah Barrington briefly refers to the matter
in his discursive Personal Sketches. 9 - " I was," he says,

1 " I have much satisfaction in informing your Lordship that,
contrary to my expectation, the King of Prussia has consented to
receive the Irish recruits " (Mr. Wickham to Lord Castlereagh,
Whitehall, 8th May, 1799). See Castlereagh Correspondence, Vol. II.,
p. 300.

2 William Dickson (1745-1804), Bishop of Down and Connor.

3 Memoirs of the Whig Party, Vol. I., pp. 113-114.

4 Pp. 145-146.

WHO WAS TO BLAME? 319

"at all times ready and willing to risk my life to put
down that spirit of mad democracy which sought to
subvert all legal institutions, and to support every
true principle of the constitution which protected
us ; but at the same time I must in truth and candour
say, and I say it with reluctance, that during those most
sanguinary scenes the brutal conduct of certain frantic
royalists was at least on a parallel with that of the
frantic rebels."

Absentee landlordism has been one of the many
curses of Ireland, an insidious serpent which has defied
modern St. Patricks, and had the gentry done their
duty in the matter of settling down on their estates
when the rebellion was almost crushed confidence
would doubtless have been restored much sooner and
with considerably less bloodshed on both sides. 1
Cornwallis fully recognised this evil, but he had a
much more serious problem to face. " The principal
persons of this country," he tells Portland in a private
and confidential communication, " and the Members
of both Houses of Parliament, are, in general, averse
to all acts of clemency, and although they do not
express, and perhaps are too much heated to see the
ultimate effects which their violence must produce,
would pursue measures that could only terminate in the
extirpation of the greater number of the inhabitants,

1 His Majesty King Edward VII. has had occasion to refer to
this matter. " I am assured," he says, " that if the many gentle-
men and landlords who very often find some difficulty in leaving
England, but who have large interests and large estates in this
country [Ireland], could contrive to come over here more frequently,
it would do more good than anything else I could imagine."

320 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

and in the utter destruction of the country. The words
Papists and Priests are for ever in their mouths, and by
their unaccountable policy they would drive four-fifths
of the community into irreconcilable rebellion ; and
in their warmth they lose sight of the real cause of
the present mischief, of that deep-laid conspiracy to
revolutionize Ireland on the principles of France,
which was originally formed, and by wonderful assid-
uity brought nearly to maturity, by men who had
no thought of religion but to destroy it, and who
knew how to turn the passions and prejudices of the
different sects to the advancement of their horrible
plot for the introduction of that most dreadful of all
evils, a Jacobin revolution." l

While we do not think that the latter contention is
sufficiently proven, there can be no doubt as to the
allegations against certain Members of Parliament
continuing to beat the war-drum as violently as possible
when the bugle had almost ceased to be heard in the
field, and when, as Cornwallis says, the rebellion was
" reduced to a predatory system in the mountains
of Wicklow and the bogs of Kildare " the importance
attached to the doings of miscreants " is purposely
exaggerated by those who wish to urge Government
to the continuance of violent measures, or, according
to a fashionable phrase of some men of great con-
sequence here, to keep Government up to their traces."
He recapitulates his conviction that, " as far as it
concerns the great mass of the deluded people, amnesty

1 Dated Dublin Castle, 8th July, 1798. Cornwallis Corre-
spondence, Vol. II., p. 360.

WHO WAS TO BLAME? 321

is more likely to succeed than extirpation," adding
the significant statement that " My sentiments have
coincided with those of the British Cabinet and with
those of the Chancellor, 1 whose character has been
much misrepresented in England." 2 Later the Vice-
.roy tells us that " the minds of people are now in
such a state, that nothing but blood will satisfy them,
and although they will not admit the term, their
conversation and conduct point to no other mode
of concluding this unhappy business than that of
extirpation." 3 When Oliver Bond's life was saved
by Arthur O'Connor, Dr. McNev^n, and Thomas
Addis Emmet agreeing to furnish full particulars of
the conspiracy to Government and incurring per-
petual banishment, Castlereagh made no secret of
the amount of " feeling " on the subject, but told
Wickham in unmistakable terms that "... The
respite of Mr. Bond did not fail to produce considerable
warmth in this town, [Dublin] to which the conversa-
tion of some of the friends of Government materially
contributed. Every sort of misrepresentation pre-
vailed, and there were m my well-disposed men in-
discreet enough to expect in Parliament an explanation
of the grounds upon which Government had acted.
In moving an adjournment till the gth I had an
opportunity of repressing the disposition to clamour
too prevalent amongst our friends, and one of them

1 John Fitzgibbon, Earl of Clare.

2 To Major-General Ross, Dublin Castle, ijth July, 1798.
Cornwallis Correspondence, Vol. II., pp. 363-364.

3 To the Duke of Portland, Dublin Castle, 26th July, 1798.
Ibid., p. 374.

322 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

observed with very great spirit upon the pains that
had been taken out of doors to mislead the public
mind on this subject. . . ." 1

The editor of the Castlereagh Correspondence is
forced to admit that " the sanguinary scenes enacted
there, [in Wicklow and Wexford] not by rebels only,
but by the King's forces also, were most disgraceful
to both parties " ; but we are not altogether in agree-
ment with him in his concluding remarks as to " the
detestable ingratitude which appears so frequently
in the conduct of the lower Irish as almost to make one
doubt whether attachment or kindly feeling for benefits
received find any place in the national character."
While we do not hold a brief for the malcontents,
impartial historians cannot be blind to the patent
fact that when poverty enters the door patriotism
often flies out of the window. Several years after
the rebellion Sir Walter Scott paid a brief visit to
Ireland, and although he hesitated to give his opinion
" upon a subject so difficult to comprehend," we think
he was nearer to the solution of the problem than his
modesty permitted him to allow. Surely the novelist
hid his identity in the statesman when he wrote :
" I had a strong belief in the progressive influence
of common sense, when it gets permission to act, in
silencing party spirit, even at the expense of con-
cessions. At the same time, this is only a general
opinion, hastily formed by a stranger, much un-
acquainted with the peculiar circumstances of a

1 Viscount Castlereagh to William Wickham, Esq., Dublin,
3ist July, 1798. Cornwattis Correspondence, Vol. II., p. 381.

WHO WAS TO BLAME? 323

country which must be in one sense termed very un-
fortunate, though so fine a land in itself, and con-
taining so noble a population as the Irish undoubtedly
are." 1

Humanitarian principles and warfare are not neces-
sarily antagonistic, although a prolonged course of
Froude might perhaps lead us to this conclusion. We
do not hold that Abercromby, Cornwallis, and Moore
showed the " white feather " because their justice
was tempered with mercy. Whether the inhabitants
of a conquered country have. a right to rebel, either
from a legal, political, or a moral point of view, is
a problem as difficult of solution as that of free-will.
History has provided many instances of the slave
becoming the taskmaster. The English have cer-
tainly not been conspicuously successful in their
rule of Ireland, but they saved her from herself in
the latter days of the eighteenth century, and from
the iron fetters with which Jacobin France would
most surely have bound her. If the sores of '98 are not
yet healed the wound is slowly closing, and a rejuven-
ated Ireland may yet become one of the triumphs of
Democratic civilisation.

1 Cornwallis Correspondence, Vol. I., pp. 103-104.

APPENDIX

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[N.B. It is not claimed that this bibliography is exhaustive, but
the following works will be found useful to the student of the
Irish Rebellion of 1798.]

Ball, Right Hon. J. T., Historical Review of the Legislative
Systems operative in Ireland from the Invasion of Henry
the Second to the Union. Dublin, 1888.

Harrington, Sir Jonah, Historic Memoirs of Ireland. 2 vols.
London, 1833.

Bryce, Right Hon. James, and others, Two Centuries of
Irish History, 1690-1870. London, 1888.

Byrne, Memoirs of Miles Byrne. Edited by his Widow
[F. Byrne]. A New Edition with an Introduction by
Stephen Gwynn. 2 vols. Dublin, 1907.

Castlereagh, Memoirs and Correspondence of Viscount
Castlereagh, Second Marquess of Londonderry. Edited
by his Brother, Charles Vane, Marquess of Londonderry.
4 vols. London, 1848.

Cloney, Thomas, A Personal Narrative . . . during the
Period of 1798. Dublin, 1832.

Cornwallis, Correspondence of Charles, First Marquis Corn-
wallis. Edited, with Notes, by C. Ross. 3 vols. 2nd
edition. London, 1859.

327

328 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

Croker, T. Crofton, Popular Songs, illustrative of the French
Invasions of Ireland. Parts III. and IV. The Bantry Bay
and Killala Invasions. Edited, with Introductions and
Notes, by T. Crofton Croker. London : The Percy
Society, 1847.

Researches in the South of Ireland, illustrative of the
Scenery, Architectural Remains, and the Manners and
Superstitions of the Peasantry. With an Appendix, con-
taining a Private Narrative of the Rebellion of 1798.
[By Jane Adams.] London, 1824.

Curry, J., Historical and Critical Review of the Civil Wars
in Ireland. New edition, edited by C. O'Conor. Dublin,
1810.

Derry, V. Life of the Rev. James O'Coigly. Edited by
V. D. London, 1798.

Desbriere, douard, Projets et Tentatives de Debarquement
aux lies Britanniques, 1793-1805. [Vol. I.] 4 vols.
Paris, 1902.

Edgeworth, R. L., Memoirs of R. L. E., begun by himself
and concluded by his Daughter, M. Edgeworth. 2 vols.
London, 1820.

Fontaine, L. O., Notice Historique de la Descente des
Franfais en Irlande. By L. O. F[ontaine], adjutant-
general of General Humbert. Paris, an. ix. (1801).

Froude, James Anthony, The English in Ireland in the
Eighteenth Century. 3 vols. London, Ed., 1895.

Gordon, Rev. James, History of the Rebellion in Ireland,
in the year 1798, etc. Dublin, 1801.

Grattan, Henry; the Younger. Memoirs of the Life and
Times of the Rt. Hon. Henry Grattan, 5 vols. London,
1839-1846.

Guillon, douard, La France et I' Irlande pendant le Revolu-
tion. Paris, 1888.

APPENDIX 329

Gurney, J., The Trial of James O'Coigly, etc. Taken in
short-hand by J. G. London, 1798.

Hancock, Thomas, The Principles of Peace, exemplified in
the Conduct of the Society of Friends in Ireland, during
the Rebellion of the Year 1798. 2nd ed. London, 1826.

. Harder, C. W., Die Auslieferung der vier politischen Fliicht-
linge Napper-Tandy, Blackwell, Morris und George Peters.
Leipzig, 1857.

Hardy, Francis, Memoirs of the Political and Private Life of
James Caulfield, Earl of Charlemont. London, 1810.

Harwood, Philip, History of the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
London, 1848.

Hassencamp, R., The History of Ireland, from the Reforma-
tion to the Union. Translated by E. A. Robinson.
London, 1888.

Hay, Edward, History of the Insurrection of the County of
Wexford, A.D. 1798. Dublin, 1803.

Holland, Lord, Memoirs of the Whig Party during my Time.
Edited by his Son, Henry Edward, Lord Holland. 2 vols.
London, 1852.

Holt, J., Memoirs of J. Holt, General of the Irish Rebels in
1798. Edited from his original Manuscript by T. Crofton
Croker. 2 vols. London, 1838.

Jones, John, An Impartial Narrative of each Engagement
which took place between his Majesty's Forces and the
Rebels, during the Irish Rebellion, 1798. 4th ed. Dublin,
1800.

Kavanagh, Rev. Patrick F., A Popular History of the In-
surrection of 1798 : derived from every available Record and
reliable Tradition. Centenary Edition. Cork, 1898.

Lecky, W. E. H., A History of Ireland in the Eighteenth
Century. 5 vols. New ed. London, 1892.

330 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

MacNeven, William James, Pieces of Irish History, etc.
New York, 1807.

Madden, R. R., Literary Remains of the United Irishmen of
1798. Collected and edited by R. R. Madden. Dublin,
1887.

The United Irishmen : their Lives and Times. 7 vols.
London, 1842-46.

Maxwell, William Hamilton, History of the Irish Rebellion
in 1798. London, 1845.

Moore, Thomas, The Life and Death of Lord Edward Fitz-
gerald. 2 vols. London, 1831.

Morgan, Edward, A Journal of the Movements, of the French
Fleet, in Bantry Bay. Cork, 1797.

Morris, W. O'Connor, Ireland, 1494-1868. Cambridge
Historical Series, 1896.

Ireland, 1798-1898. London, 1898.

Musgrave, Sir Richard, Memoirs of the different Rebellions
in Ireland. Dublin, 1801.

Pearse, Col. Hugh, Memoirs of the Life and Military Ser-
vices of Viscount Lake, Baron Lake of Delhi and Las-
war ee, 1744-1808. London, 1908.

Plowden, Francis, An Historical Review of the State of
Ireland from the Invasion of that Country under Henry II.
to its Union with Great Britain. 2 vols. London, 1803.

The History of Ireland, as above. 2 vols. London, 1809
Reynolds, T., The Life of Thomas Reynolds, Esq., formerly

of Kilkea Castle in the County of Kildare. By his Son.
2 vols. London, 1839.

Stock, Rt. Rev. Joseph, A Narrative of what passed at Kil-
lalla, in the County of Mayo, and the Parts adjacent, during
the French Invasion in the Summer of 1798. By an Eye-
witness. Dublin, 1800.

APPENDIX 331

Tandy, ]., An Appeal to the Public. Dublin, 1807.

Taylor, George, A History of the Rise, Progress, and Sup-
pression of the Rebellion in the County of Wexford in the
Year 1798. A New Edition corrected. Dublin, 1829.

Taylor, W. C., History of the Civil Wars of Ireland, etc.
London, 1826.

Teeling, Charles Hamilton, Personal Narrative of the Irish
Rebellion. London, 1828.

Sequel to the Personal Narrative of the Irish Rebellion.
London, 1832.

Tone, Theobald Wolfe, Memoirs. 2 vols. London, 1827.
Troude, O., Batailles Navales de la France. 4 vols. Paris,

1867-8.
Wheeler, H. F. B., and Broadley, A. M., Napoleon and the

Invasion of England. 2 vols. London, 1907.
Wright, Thomas. History of Ireland from the earliest period

of the Irish annals to the present time. London and New

York, 1854. [Vol. III., pp. 1-153.]

Among the anonymous works may be mentioned :

Serious Reflections on the late and continued Disturbances in
Ireland. By a Citizen of the World. Dublin, 1798.

Narrative of the Sufferings and Escape of Charles Jackson
of Wexford. London, 1798.

The Last Speech and Dying Words of Martin Loughlin.
Cork, 1799.

An Impartial Relation of the Military Operations in conse-
quence of the Landing of the French Troops. By an
Officer who served under Lord Cornwallis. 1799.

An Account of the late Insurrection in Ireland; in which is
laid open the Secret Correspondence between the United
Irish and the French Government, through Lord E. Fitz-
gerald and others. London, 1799 (?).

332 THE WAR IN WEXFORD

History of the Rebellion in Ireland in the Year 1798. New-
castle, 1803.

History of the Rebellion in Ireland in 1798, containing an
Impartial Account of the Proceedings of the Irish Revolu-
tionists. Workington, 1806.

A Narrative of the Confinement and Trial of William Steel
Jackson. Dublin, 1812.

The Life of J. P. Curran, late Master of the Rolls in Ireland.
2 vols. London, 1819.

The Year Ninety-eight : being another and truer Ballad Ver-
sion of the Events of the Year of the Great Irish Rebellion.
London, 1844.

Life and Death of Lord Edward Fitzgerald : with a Selection
of Historical and Biographical Sketches and Anecdotes of
Celebrated United Irishmen. Dublin, 1848 (?).

The History of the Irish Rebellion in the Year 1798. Published
by Alston, Cumberland.

A collection of addresses, proclamations, etc., relating
to the events of 1797-1799 will be found in the British
Museum.

INDEX

Abercromby, Sir Ralph, 40-42,
44, 46, 47, 300-2, 311

Achill Head, 247

Addington, Henry, Viscount Sid-
mouth, 98

Allegiance, Addresses of, 55-8

Oaths of, 49, 55, 82
American aid expected by the

rebels, 215
Antrim, 283 n.
Arklow, 74, 86, 87, 92, 94, 100,

in, 115, 116, 117, 121, 123,

128, 141, 142, 146, 158, 202,

204, 209 n.

battle of, 119-25, 128
Asgill, Sir Charles, 61, 144, 213,

214

Ask, Hill of, 141 n., 142, 146
Athlone Convention, 8
Aughrim, 140, 141, 220 n.
Aylmer, William, leader of the

Kildare rebels, 219 n., 220 n.,

221 n.

" Babes in the Wood," 288 n.
Balinamore, 316
Ballenheale, 197
Ballina, 253
Ballinamuck, 246 n.

battle of, 257
Balliorrell, 92
Ballyboghill, rebels routed at,

220 n.

Ballycanew, 57, 58, 59, 81, 89,
101, 104, 105, 108, no, 217,

275

Ballycarney Bridge, 144
Ballycogne, 141
Ballydarnill Bridge, 209
Ballyellis, 216

battle of, 210
Ballyfad, 205, 215

Ballygullen, battle of, 218,

219 n., 221 n.

Ballymenane Hill, 102, 105, 106
Ballymore, 101, 104, 109
Ballynation, 165
Ballyraheen Hill, 217 n.
Bandon, 25
Bantry Bay Expedition, 21-7,

Barrington, Sir Jonah, 160

Barrow, River, 212

Belfast, 8

Belleone, 166

Bellevue, 163

Blackfeet, the, 8

Blackstair Mountains, 143

Blayney, Andrew Thomas,
Baron, 223, 225, 226, 228

Bolaring, 209

Bompard, Divisional-Comman-
der, 246, 260, 261

Bonaparte, Napoleon, 22, 64, 65,
68, 141 n., 245, 246 n., 286,
292, 293 n., 295

Bond, Oliver, 21, 321

Bookey, Lieutenant Thomas, 79,
82, 83

Borris, 144, 149

Boulavogue, 56, 78, 86

Bourke, Lieutenant, 154 n., 155
n.

Bouvet, Admiral, 24

Bray, 120

Breen, Francis, rebel, 136, 294 n.

Broe, Father John, 188

Brougham, Lord, on Viscount
Castlereagh, 299 n.

Brownrigg, Isabella W., 199

Bruix, Admiral, the part he
played in the French Expedi-
tion to Ireland (1798), 245,
260

335

336

INDEX

Bryce, Rt. Hon. James, on the

Irish Rebellion, 297, 298
Burrowes, Rev. Robert, murder

of, 87, 88, 165
Byrne, Garret, rebel, 122, 141 n.,

158, 205 n., 217 n., 219 n.,

220 n., 222 n.

Miles, cited, 22, 26, 33, 77,
102, 121-3, 2I 3

William Michael, rebel, 122,
217 n.

Camden, Sir John Jeffreys Pratt,
second Earl and first Marquis
of, ii, 12, 23, 42, 43, 45-7, 55,
57, 69, 127, 299, 302-4, 308

Camolin, 81, 82, 83, 86, 92, 101,
108, 144, 264, 276, 283, 289

Park, 50, 84, 94, 211 n.
Camperdown, battle of, 64, 245
Carberries, disarming of the, 313
Carhampton, Lord, 17, 40, 42
Carlow, 72, 78, 102, 103, 107,

in n., 213, 294 n.
Carnew, in n., 117, 141 n., 143,

210 n., 211, 217 n., 218, 224
Carrickbyrne Hill, 102, 114, 129,

134, 143, 144, 151
Carrigrew Hill, 92
Carty, Robert, 155 n., 190
Castlebar, 316

battle at, 256
Castlebridge, 85
Castlecomer attacked by rebels,

213
Castlereagh, Robert Stewart,

Viscount, 59, 80, 103, 118,

126, 232, 244, 262, 273, 275,

283 n., 299, 304
Castletown, 123, 139, 220 n.
Cathcart, William Schaw (Earl

Cathcart), 19

Catholic Relief Bills, 6, 9, 11, 12
Caulfield, Rt. Rev. James, Roman

Catholic Bishop of Ferns, 174,

195
Charlemont, James Caulfeild,

Earl of, 298
Charost, Lieut.-Colonel, French

commander at Killala, 257
Cherin, General, his part in the

French Expedition (1798), 246

Clare, John Fitzgibbon, Earl of,

44. 3 2 i
Cleaver, Euseby, Bishop of Cork

and Ferns, 88

Clinch, Father, rebel, 157, 158
Clogh, no, 201, 202, 222
Clogheen, 305
Clonakilty, 25

Clonard, skirmish at, 220 n.
Clone, 141

Cloney, Thomas, 155 n.
Clonmines, 144
Colclough, John Henry, rebel,

97, 102, 221 n.
Colours used by the Wexford

rebels, 74

Colpoys, Admiral Sir John, 26
Commercial restrictions, Ire -

land's, 5
Connaught, 103
Coolgreny, 87, 118, 138, 139,

146, 203, 217
Copper Mine Rocks, 141
Cork, 25
Cornwallis, Charles Mann, Earl

of, 45, 46, 221 n., 230, 231,

240, 255, 269, 288, 299, 304,

308, 314, 316, 317, 319, 320.

321
Corrigrua Hill, 78, 101, 102, 104,

106, 108, 109, no, 141 n.,

148 n., 217, 218, 219, 275
Cortez, Adjutant-General, his

expedition to Ireland, 262-3
Cove, 311

Craghen Hill, 201, 2090.
Crawford, Lieut.-Colonel, 268
Cullen, Rev. David, Roman

Catholic priest, 55, 58
Curran, Sarah, 294 n.

Dalhousie, Lord, 154, 159
Dalrymple, Maj.-Gen.Sir Hew, 15
D'Arblay, Madame, 66 n.
D'Arcy, Edward, murder of, 87
Defenders, the, 8
Dickson, Rt. Rev. William,

Bishop of Down and Connor,

3i8
Dillon, Rt. Rev. Edward, Bishop

of Kilmacduagh and Kilfe-

nora, 61, 63

INDEX

337

Disarming of the peasants in

1797. 33
Dissenters and the Society of

United Irishmen, 20
Dixon, Thomas, rebel leader,

122, 167-71, 179, 184-9, 193
Donoughmore, 280
Donovan, Private John, death

of, 79. 83
Down, 283 n.
Drumaleague, 25
Drumgoold, 96
Dublin, 69, 8 1, 102, 106, 120,

125, 126, 220 n., 311, 314

Bay, guard vessel which
served as prison in, 141

Duff, Major-General Sir James,
J 43-5> iSS n '> 2I 8, 219 n.

Dunain, 213

Duncan, Adam, Admiral Lord,
40 n., 64

Duncannon, 81, 152, 167, 169

Dundas, Henry (Viscount Mel-
ville), 15, 17

Dunmanway, 26

Edenderry, 220 n.

Edward VII. His Majesty King,

on absent landlords, 319 n.
Elliot, William, Under-Secretary

in Ireland, 47

Ely, Charles, first Earl of, 50
Emmet, Robert, his attempt at

rebellion (July, 1803), 293 n.

Thomas Addis, rebel, 21,
293 n., 321

Enniscorthy, 81, 88, 89, 92, 95,
98, 100, 102, 144, 153, 155-7,
159, 160, 164, 166-8, 223, 224,
226-8, 238, 240, 244, 266

surrendered to the rebels, 95
Esmond, Sir Thomas, 57
Eustace, General, 208

Fawcett, Major-General Sir Wil-
liam, 97, 99

Ferns, 83-5, 88, 92, 144, 209,
217, 219, 220, 223, 227, 230,
2 37. 239, 2 44. 264, 266, 267,
270, 277

Ferry Bank, 167

FitzGerald, Brigade-Major B.
Edward, 224, 227 n., 229, 264,
267, 270-2, 275, 276, 280

Lord Edward, 21 33, 69
Fitzgerald, Edward, rebel lead-
er, 97, 158, 176, 197, 219 n.,
220, 221 n.

Thomas Judkin, his zeal for
flogging, 305, 306

Fitzwilliam, William Wentworth,

second Earl, 9-11, 14, 45
Flood, Sir Frederick, 39, 82, 278,

286
Fontaine, Adjutant-General, and

the French expedition (1798),

254
Foote, Colonel, of the North

Cork Militia, 89, 165
Fort George, rebels imprisoned

at, 221 n.
Forth, Mount, 96
Foulkes's Mill, 144, 145
France and Ireland, 4, 20, 21,

64, 65, 161, 244-63
Frederick, Duke of York, 15, 17,

19, 28, 47, 269, 304
Friends of the People, 4
Froude, James Anthony, on

Abercromby, 41, 42

Galway, 255

George III, King, 16, 18, 55, 57,

304

Glenmalure, rebel camp at, 22on.
Goffs Bridge, 152, 185, 191
Gold Mine, the, 140, 217
Goresbridge, captured by the

rebels, 212

Gorey, 48, 81 n., 86, 87, 92, 95 n.,
102, 104, 108-14, 117, 124,
128, 138, 140, 141 n., 142-4,
148, 149, 158, 160, 161, 164,
201, 202, 206, 209-11, 219,
227, 230, 276, 290

evacuated by the Loyalists,
92

experiences of a prisoner at,
112

Gowan, Hunter, 309
Graignamanagh, 144
Granard, 257, 269
Grattan, Henry, 5, 9, n, 12, 45

338

INDEX

Gray, Nicholas, secretary of the
Wexford Rebel Council, 150,
184

Greenmound, 163, 166

Grenville, William Wyndham,
Baron, 69

Grey, General Sir Charles, 17, 1 8

Grogan, Captain John, 85 n.

Cornelius, rebel, 71, i2on.,
221 n.

Thomas Knox, 119, i2on.,

139
Grose, Brig.-Gen., 218, 227, 228,

238
Grouchy, Emmanuel, and the

Bantry Bay Expedition, 24,

Hacketstown, 143

Hackett, rebel chief, 220 n.,

221 n., 222 n.
Hancock, Dr. Thomas, 53
Hardy, General, his division of

the French expedition (1798),

246, 259-62
Harvey, Beauchamp Bagenal,

rebel, 100, 102, 114, 129, 130,

134, 173, 175, 176, 178, 195,

196, 221 n.
Hay, Captain Philip, 222

John, rebel, 121, 173
Hewitt, Major-General, 239
Hill, Sir George, and the be-
trayal of Theobald Wolfe
Tone, 262

Historians of the Rebellion, 13,
SO. S3> 7 2 > 82, 112, 162, 248,
297, 298, 307, 309

Hoche, General Lazare, com-
mander of the Bantry Bay
Expedition, 22-4, 26, 39

Holland and the Irish rebels,
64, 65, 245, 263

Holland, Henry Richard Vassall
Fox, third Lord, 47, 317

Holt, Joseph, rebel, 205 n., 220 n.,

222 n., 288 n.

Hore, Lady Anne, 179, 194
Hulse, Lieut. -Gen. Sir Samuel,

229

Humbert, Joseph Amable, lead-
er of French Expedition to

Ireland, 245, 246, 251, 252,

254-7, 3i6

Hunter, Major-General, 226
Huntly, Marquis of, 118 n., 219

n., 230, 231
Hutchinson, Major-General the

Hon. John Hely Hutchinson,

256

Irishmen, Society of United, 8,
13. 20-3, 33. 55. 61, 64, 69,

70, 188, 189 n., 310

Irish Military Establishment
(from 1793-6), 14, (in 1797)
28, (in 1798) 65 n.

Militia. See Regiments.

Jacob, Archibald, magistrate,

71, 194

Dr. Ebenezer, Mayor of Wex-
ford, 172, 190-2

Jenkin, Meredith, Lord Mayor

of Dublin, letter re Loyalist

claims, 233
Johnson, Maj.-Gen. Sir Henry,

132, 143, 144, 151, 159, 266,

267, 276
Junta of the United Irishmen, 21

Kavenagh, Rev. Francis, rebel

chief, 55, 86 n.

Kearns, Rev. Moses, rebel lead-
er, 102, 107, 108, non., 215,

217 n., 220 n., 221 n.
Keugh, Captain Matthew, rebel,

99, 100, 176, 178, 180, 183,

190, 195, 196, 221 n.
Kilcaven Hill, 1 17, 141 n., 147 n.,

212 n.
Kilcomney Hill, battle of, 213,

214
Kildare, 72, 78, 102, 103, 107,

217 n., 283 n., 294 n., 320
Kilkenny, 78, 102, 136, 213,

294 n.
Killala, 257, 258

Bay, 248, 262

landing of the French at, 244
Killaughram, rebels in the woods

of, 215, 217 n., 220 n.
Killedmond, 212
Kfflena[gh], 82, 83

INDEX

339

Killthomas Hill, 86 n., 225
Kilmuckridge, 87, 88
Kilwarden, Lord, assassination

of, 294 n.
Kingsborough, George King,

Viscount, 154, 155, 196, 39
King's County, the, 78, 103
Knottown, 75
Kyan, Esmond, rebel captain of

artillery, 122, 124, 125, 158,

220 n.
Kyle, 88

Lacken Hill, 137, 149, 183
Lacy, Rev. Michael, Roman

Catholic priest, 55
Lake, Lieut. -Gen. Gerald, 30,

31, 40, 76, 143, 148, 152, 155.

159, 174, 190, 197, 230, 355,

256, 257, 264, 302, 311
Landlordism, absentee, 319
Langrishe, Sir Hercules, 6
Lanigan, Rt. Rev. John, Bishop

of Ossory, 61
La Rochelle, 245, 246
Lecky, W. E. H., on Aber-

cromby, 45
Le Hunte, Colonel, 89, 165, 181,

197
Leinster, ridge of, 213

seizure of arms in, 33
L'Estrange, Colonel, 107, 217,

219, 222

Lewens, Edward John, repre-
sentative of the United Irish-
men in France, 20, 65

Limerick, 209

Hill, 138, 141 n., 143, 147 n.
Little Limerick, 216

Loftus, General, no, inn.,

117, 143, 144, 156
London Corresponding Society,4
Longraige, 152 n.
Loughlinstown Camp, in, 120
Louth, 220 n.
Loyalist losses, compensation of,

232, 233-5, 283
Lyster, John Henry, 71, 163

Macomores, suggested decima
tion of the, 227 n.

Magistrates and the Rebellion,
48, 70, 82, 301, 302, 305-7

Martial law, horrors of, 82 n.

Maxwell, Colonel, 97

Maynooth, establishment of, n

Mayo, 256, 283 n.

McManus, Captain, 155 n.

McNeven, William James, mem-
ber of the Junta of the United
Irishmen, 21, 293 n., 321

Meath, 72, 103, 220 n.

Meyrick, Brig.-Gen., 220

Monaghan, Richard (alias Dick
Monk), 122

Monart, rebels in the woods of,
237. 238

Monaseed, 215

Moore, Maj.-Gen. Sir John,
122 n., 143-5, iSi-3. iSS.
159, 190, 193, 197, 207 n.,
231, 255, 257, 302, 305, 310,

3"
Mount Howard House, 104

Nebo, 209, 218

Norris, Arthur Annesley, Earl

of, 35. 49. So- 2 , 54-7, 59. 6 7.
84, 85, 101 n., ii2, 116, 125,
216, 217, 223-6, 228, 233, 263,
268, 274, 280, 283-93, 295,
296

Norris, Lady, 95

Pleasant, 141

Mountjoy, Rt. Hon. Luke Gar-
diner, Lord, 129, 132

Muir, Thomas, 4

Mullet, the, 247

Munster, 103

Murphy, Rev. John, rebel lead-
er, 55, 56, 78, 79, 86, 88, 92,
96, 97-101, 108, 122, 123, 158,
212-14

Rev. Michael, 55, 57, 58, 59.
86 n., 89, 92, 106, 120, 121,
127, 182

Musgrave, Sir Richard, his use
of Mrs. Brownrigg's Diary,
162

Napoleon. See Bonaparte.

Needham, Maj.-Gen. the Hon.
Francis, in, 116, 118, 124,
139, 141 n., 143-5. H7-9. 155.

340

INDEX

156, 2OI, 2O4, 2O5, 2O9, 211,
2l8

Needham's Gap, 156
Newbridge, 212 n.
Newgate Jail, Dublin, 69
New Ross, 99, 102, 109 n., 129,

130, 136, 152, 158, 1 60, 166,

178, 208 n., 230

battle of, 1 30
Newton Butler, 75 n.
Newtownbarry, 102, 106, 178,

222, 223, 230, 278, 290
Newtown Kennedy, 120
Nugent, General Sir George, 255

Oak Boys, the, 8

Oath, Black Test, 188, 189 n.

O'Coigly, Father James, arrest
and trial, 66 n.

O'Connor, Arthur, member of
the Junta of the United Irish-
men, 21, 66, 68, 321

O'Hara, Lt.-Col., 206

O'Hea, Captain, I54n.

Old Ross, 143, 150, 151

Orange Lodges, establishment
of, 8

Oulart, 57 n., 79, 86, 87, 89, 90,
144, 145, 155, 178, 203-5

defeat of Loyalists at, 89

Paine, Thomas, 4, 61
Palmerstown, 249-51
Pardon, Bill of, 303
Parliament, the Irish, 5, 6, 10-

13, 35- 319

Peep-o'-Day Boys, the, 8
Pelham, Rt. Hon. Thomas, 44,

47, 127, 299
Pellew, Sir Edward, 26
Peppard's Castle, 158, 227
Perry, Anthony, rebel chief, 102,

106, 108, non., 113, 158,

200, 201, 203, 205, 220 n.,

221 n.

Pitch-cap, torture of the, 310
Pitt, Rt. Hon. William, 5-8, 10,

15, 17, 26

Sir William Augustus, 18, 19
Poolahoney Wood, 118
Portland, William Henry Caven-
dish Bentinck, third Duke of,

10, 12, 17, 19, 42, 43, 258, 300,

3i9

Prendergast, John, rebel, 74

Priestley, Joseph, 4

Priests and the Rebellion, Ro-
man Catholic, 54, 55, 58, 60,
259

Prisoners, experiences of Loyal-
ist, 112, 162-94

Proclaiming of disaffected dis-
tricts, 13, 8 1 n.

Proclamations, military, 31, 33,
42

Prosperous, 72

Protection, certificates of, 207

Protestant interest in Ireland,
the, 5, 6, 12, 40

Prussia, Irish recruits sold to the
King of, 318

Queen's County, the, 78, 213

Rathdrum, 121, 149, 205

Rathfarnham, 291

Rathfran, Bay of, 249

Rebels, their personal appear-
ance, 73-5 ; costumes worn
by> 73 ' commissariat, 77 ;
under arms on the eve of
hostilities, 78 ; outbreak in
Wexford, 78 ; organisation,
78 ; first affray, 84 ; march
to Camolin Park and Rock-
spring, 84 ; Camolin sacked,
86 n. ; defeat Loyalists at
Oulart, 86 ; proceed to Ferns,

88 ; attack Car new garrison,

89 ; capture Enniscorthy, 94,
95 ; establish Vinegar Hill
camp, 95 ; fight at the Three
Rocks (May 3oth), 97 ; enter
Wexford, 98, 108 ; perman-
ent camps, 101 ; independent
corps formed, 101 ; enter
Newtownbarry, 107 ; drilled
by yeomen, 108 ; victory at
Tubberneering, no; enter
Carnew, 117; defeated at
Arklow, 118-25 ; attack New
Ross, 129-33 ; concentrate at
Vinegar Hill, 141 n. ; on Hill
of Ask, 142 ; retreat from

INDEX

34i

New Ross, 1 50 ; defeated at
Taghmon, 152-3 ; defeated
at Vinegar Hill, 155-8 ; re-
treat from Wexford, 159, 192 ;
division, 212 ; the colliers
of Dunain, 213 ; division,
215 ; defeated at Kilcomney
Hill, 214 ; engagement at
Ballyraheen Hill, 217 n. ; de-
feated at Ballygullen, 218 ;
routed in Monart Woods,
2 37-8 ; final movements,
219 n.-22 n.

Redmond, Rev. Edmond, Ro-
man Catholic priest, 55

Rev. John, rebel, 55, 58, 94,
no n., 211

Rev. Nicholas, Roman Ca-
tholic priest, 55

Michael, rebel, 120 n.
Regiments :

Ancient British Light Dra-
goons, 108, 140, 147, 210,
216, 303, 309

Antrim Militia, 93, 94, 105,109,
238

Arklow Yeomanry, 109, 116,
140, 147, 204, 221 n.

Armagh Militia, 109

Ayrshire Fencible Cavalry, 28

Ballakeen Yeomanry, 86, 105,
139, 210, 216, 222, 267,
270

Borris Yeomanry, 149, 238

Camolin Yeomanry, 36, 37, 38,
39, 66, 67, 81-7, 94, 100,
104-6, 108-12, 116-21, 138-
42, 145-9, ID X 201-12, 216-
30, 237-40, 243-4, 264-
96

Car low Cavalry, 107

Castletown Yeomanry, 113,
119, 1 20, 147, 149, 202, 204,
267, 270

Cavan Militia, in, 116, 140,

147, 219, 220, 223, 238, 263

Clare Militia, 129

Coolgreny Yeomanry, 1 47, 148,

204, 205, 267, 270
Donegal Militia, 129, 149, 167,

1 68
Downshire Militia, 310

Regiments (contd.) :
Dragoons, 4th, 107

5th, 129, 140, 210, 216, 304

6th, 15

1 2th Light, 15, 1 6
Dublin CountyMilitia, 1 29, 1 32,

230, 240, 244
Dumbarton Fencible Infantry,

29, 109, 118

DumfriesLightDragoons,22on.
Durham, Loyal, Fencibles, 29,

118, 147, 148

Enniscorthy Yeomanry, 306
Gorey Yeomanry, 147, 148, 149,

200, 202, 210, 216, 267, 270
Healthfield Yeoman Cavalry,

Hessian regiments,the,223, 309
Hompesch Cavalry, 151
Kilkenny Militia, 256, 304
King's County Militia, 107,219,

222, 238

Le Hunte's Cavalry, 165
Limerick City Militia, 257
Londonderry Militia, 109
Longford Militia, 256, 304
Lowenstein Hompesch regi-
ment, 1 6
Loyal Tay Fencible Infantry,

15, 16

Manx Fencible Infantry, 15
Meath Militia, 97, 99, 129
Midlothian Fencibles, 129
Mount Norris Corps. See

Camolin Yeomanry
Newtownbarry Yeomanry,

107, 219, 222

North and South Yeoman Ca-
valry, 148

North Arklow Yeomanry, 148
North Cork Militia, 83, 86, 87,
89, 94, 105, 154 n., 165, 168,
309, 3io

Prince of Wales's Fencible In-
fantry, 248

Romney Fencible Cavalry, 28
Scarawalsh Infantry, 85 n.
Shilelah Yeomanry, 217 n.
Shilmalier Cavalry, 90
Suffolk Light Infantry, 109
1 3th Regiment of Foot, 243
True Blues of Tinnehely, 2 1 7 n.

342

INDEX

Regiments (contd.) :

Tyrone Light Infantry, 109
Waldstein Regiment, 16
Waterford Militia, 213
Wicklow Cavalry, 149
Wingfield Yeomanry, 204, 267,

270
Yagers, 6oth, 151

Reynolds, Michael, rebel, 205 n.

Right Boys, the, 8

Roche, Edward, rebel, non.,

157, iS8, 198

Rev. Philip, rebel leader, 102,
108, in n., 136, 151, 153, 155,

158, 160, 212, 221 n.
Rochefort, 245

Roden, Robert, second Earl of , 157
Roman Catholics and the Irish
Parliament, 5, 9, u, 12

and the Rebellion, 48-50,
52, 53. 55-8. 78-80, 113, 259,
312, 315

and the Society of United
Irishmen, 20

Ross, Major-General Robert, 46,

129

Rosslare Ford, 189
Rossminoge, 226
Ryan, Captain, 69

Saint Austins, 202

Saltee Islands, 97 n.

Sarrazin, Adjutant-General, and
the French Expedition (1798),
251- 254

Savary, Captain, naval com-
mander of Humbert's expedi-
tion, 246, 247, 260, 262

Scarawalsh, 144, 224

outrage at, 83, 84
Scollagh Gap, 213, 214

Scott, Sir Walter, on Ireland, 322
Sigerson, Dr. George, on the

Irish rebellion, 298
Sirr, Major, 69
Skerret, Col., 118, 124, 205
Slaney, the river, 96, 144
Sledagh, 158, 212
Slievebuoy, 224
Sligo, 255, 258
Slyeeve-Keelter, rebel camp on,

136, 137

Society for Constitutional In-
formation, 4

Solsborough, 156

Stafford, Rev. Nicholas, Roman
Catholic priest, 55

Stock, Joseph, Bishop of Killala,
248, 253, 254, 256, 257-9

Swan, Major, 69

Synnott, Rev. Nicholas, Roman
Catholic priest, 55

Taghmon, 145, 152, 154, 208 n.,

214, 230

Tandy, James Napper, 246, 260
TarahHill, 139
Tate, Colonel, and the invasion

of Wales, 39 n.
Taylor, Brigadier - General

Robert, 255, 278, 287, 290
Teelin, Cape, 247
Teeling, Bartholomew, 23, 247

Charles Hamilton, 23
Templeshannon, 96

Three Rocks, the, 96, 97, 101,
102, 129, 151 n., 152, 153,
157-9, 168, 185

Tinnehely, 141 n., 217 n.

Tipperary, 283 n.

Tommagaddy, 104

Tone, Matthew, sails with Hum-
bert's expedition, 246

Theobald Wolfe, 20, 68, 244,
251, 262

Tooke, John Home, 4

Tory Island, 262

Troy, John Thomas, Archbishop

of Dublin, 61
True Blues, the, 8
Tubberneering, 147

defeat of Loyalists at, no
Tullow, 143 205 n.

Ulster, 103

seizure of arms in, 33
Underwood, Brigade Major

Charles, 140, 142, 146, 147,
204, 206-10, 216
Union of Great Britain and
Ireland, 3, 9, n, 285 n.

Vereker, Col. Charles, his action
with the French, 257

INDEX

343

Vinegar Hill, 95, 96, 101, 108,

141 n., 145, 148 n., 151, 152,

JSS. !59> 160. 161, 187, 191,
201, 270, 298

battle of, 157

General Lake's military
orders re the taking of, 143

Volunteers of 1778-82, 4

Walpole, Colonel Lambert Theo-
dore, 109, no, in n., 121 n.,
142 n.

Warren, Commodore Sir John
Borlase, 261

Waterford, 78, 81, 98, 102, 126,
132, 136, 164, 266, 305, 307 n.

Wemyss, Maj-Gen., 220 n.

Westmorland, John Fane, tenth
Earl of, 6

Wexford, town of, 81, 86, 87, 89,
90, 94-9, 102, n6n., 128,
141 n., 145, 152-4, 158, 159,
164, 166, 168, 192-5, 229,
277-9

White boys, the, 8

White, Captain Hawtrey, 71, 92,
227 n., 306

Whitefeet, the, 8

Whiteheaps, the, 201, 203 n.,
215, 217 n., 218

Wickham, William, Under-
secretary in the Home De-
partment, 103, 126, 283 n.

Wicklow, 78, 100, 102, 103, in,
116, 120, 124, 138, 140, 161,
200, 203, 205, 210, 215, 217,
231, 240, 243,283 n., 294 n., 320

'.Cornwallis's Memorandum as
to the state of affairs in the
county of (Aug. 1798), 240

Lord, 148

Windmill Hill, near Wexford,

158
Wycombe, Lord, shot at by a

sentinel in Dublin, 318
Wynne, Colonel Sir Watkin

Williams, 109, 119

Yeomanry, behaviour of the,
301, 303, 304, 308, 309, 315

embodied in 1796, 35

NAPOLEON

AND THE INVASION OF ENGLAND

THE STORY OF THE GREAT TERROR, 1797-1805
BY H. F. B. WHEELER AND A. M. BROADLEY
WITH UPWARDS OF 120 ILLUSTRATIONS, INCLUD-
ING 8 IN COLOUR, REPRODUCED FROM A UNIQUE
COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY PRINTS, CARI-
CATURES, BROADSIDES, SONGS, ETC. ETC.
In Two Volumes, Demy 8vo (9 x 5| inches). Price 32s. net.

Quarterly Review. " The volumes contain ... a quantity of original matter
drawn from the valuable collection of MSS. of the period in the possession of Mr.
Broadley. A remarkable feature of the work is the inclusion of more than a
hundred reproductions of contemporary caricaiures and other prints illustrating the
epoch, which tupply overwhelming proof of the general belief in England of the
imminence of invasion. . . . The authors have no doubt whatever that Napoleon
did intend to invade England, and give their reasons in a well-argued chapter."

DR. J. HOLLAND ROSE in Guardian. itself, and must prove invaluable as a

"It is clear that patriotism was one work of reference."

of the motives which led the authori to NatioH.-" Somewhat curious it is

grapple with the immense mass of that until now no complete book upon

materials so attractively brought to- ^ subject haj appeare S in English. .. .

ge her in this remarkable book. Its In h v J olumes un ^ er notice the st ; s

value is enhanced by the excellence of t , d in d y im tiall and * ot

the artistic work; and students of the whhout Ht ' H) e are ^p^m^

period will welcome the very full in- letters of *q eorge IIL> s?me of which

are interesting ; and the illustrations

Athtnaum. "The present authors mostly caricatures of the period have

have . . . conferred a benefit on his- been well chosen, and give considerable

torical scholars, both in England and life and colour to the book. The scanty

on the Continent, by diving into all the treatment bestowed by our historians

available materials, many of them on this exciting theme is the more

hitherto unpublished, and rounding off remarkable when we consider how real

in a satisfactory manner a subject and wide-spread was the terror of inva-

which has hitherto received scant justice sion by the French at the end of the

in thee islands. ... On nearly all eighteenth and the_ beginning of the

topics new information is given. . . . nineteenth century."
Altogether it is certain that no other Notes and Queries . " We have now

volumes have appeared bringing _to- before us a thoroughly competent ac-

gether details so varied and interesting count of the plans for national defence ;

concerning the life of Great Britain at the part played by George III. and his

an acute crisis." advisers; the projects of the invaders ;

D 7 ii T* ,,. v, the inventions of Fulton; and lastly,

excellence the joint authors of the Outlook. "The book is not merely

present book have been successful in one to be ordered from the circulating

presenting to the world a work on library; it should be purchased, kept

Napoleon's tremendous project of a on an accessible shelf, and constantly

descent on England which stands by studied by Englishmen who love Eng-

NAPOLEON AND THE INVASION OF ENGLAND continued.

land. They will not have reason to ... As to the ' arming of the people,'
grudge the considerable outlay of no portion of the authors' work is more
shillings." interesting or more admirably treated

Scotsman. " Messrs. Wheeler and than that which deals with the various
Broadley . . . have given us the story schemes of defence, either proposed by
of the Great Terror in a completer form < h . e Government or adopted by them,
than ever before. They tell the reader With the same thoroughness, also, the
what was done and said by our states- invasion policy of Napoleon, in all its
men and by Parliament, of the feeling J*** 1 ** * *e a11 lt! ? P has , es .. ls
in the country, of the military and laid ba . re - WltL the . general conclusion
naval preparations for receiving the arrived at we are in complete agree-
enemy, and of the pamphlets, carica- merit.

tures, and verse of the period. Much World. " Messrs. Wheeler and

that was hitherto unpublished makes Broadley have described Napoleon's
its appearance in their book. The projects for invasion with great fullness,
authors have been indefatigable in their an d have shown us in very vivid colours
labours, and, fortunately for their how this danger weighed upon the minds
readers, their resources have been pecu- o f a n thoughtful men in England, until
liarly great. The book could not have t h e Army of Boulogne struck its tents
been produced except by men who had an d turned its arms eastward. The

made a long study of the subject stO r y of the Great Terror has never

The book should certainly take its place hitherto found really adequate treat-
as the standard work on a particular ment by English writers. . . . These
aspect of the Napoleonic era. fascinating volumes are richly and co-

Ttmes. " The present work succeeds piously illustrated, mainly by reproduc-
in giving us in the compass of a single tions of contemporary prints and carica-
book a more convincing picture of a tures._ . . . The work is a most welcome
period of panic than we can recall in contribution to the history of the Na-
any library." poleonic epoch, which readers of every

Sphtrt. "The handsomest book about J aste wi ." find equally entertaining and
Napoleon that has been produced in instructive.

this country." Daily Mail. "U^sn. Wheeler and

Army and Navy Gazette.' 1 The Broadley must be congratulated upon
work . . . should be in every library, the production of a book which has the
upon the shelves of sailors and soldiers, rare merit of interesting the general
and in the collections of those who reader and providing the historical

interest themselves in the social life of student with fresh material. They have

the country as influenced by political collected in their two portly volumes an

surroundings. . . . The _ twin authors immense wealth of matter concerning

have added an entertaining book of Napoleon's invasion projects and the

great importance to the literature of the British counter-preparations. . . . The

Napoleonic age, and we have to thank detailed information which they give as

them greatly for two volumes which are to the organisation of the British land

both entertaining and instructive." forces and the British defences should

Evening Standard." The volumes be of great military value in the present

... are full of things notable alike by d *Y- when ln ? lo . n once more a pos-

the expert and by the lay reader. . . . sibihty. . . . This is a book which ought

Messrs. Wheeler and Broadley have pro- '? find a P lac m every library, and in

duced a book to be welcomed, not only K^ing " l the wor ' d &* authors have

by the student of Napoleon, of his discharged an act of patriotism,
character and of his influence, but also rjl. "TV,, ct^,-, ^r .v,. rv.o

by a,, who have any care/or the Empire ySfSSSt a'wholetcade SS

which is directed from this little island. {hese Ulands j ntQ an arme(? camp ^

Wtttminster Gazette. " Notwith- found but little favour with English

standing the large and ever-increasing historical and military writers, and,

literature concerning Napoleon and his therefore, we have never had a real

extraordinary career, Messrs. Wheeler understanding of the conditions of the

and Broadley have succeeded in pro- time, or of the life of the people. This

ducing a work on the threatened inva- want is now supplied by the two hand-

sion of England by Napoleon which some volumes published by Mr. John

treats of the subject with a fullness of Lane, 'Napoleon and the Invasion of

detail and a completeness of documen- England,' by H. F. B. Wheeler and

tary evidence that are unexampled. ... A. M. Broadley. . . . The subject is

The history of the lull before the storm treated in great detail and with much

is set forth in the first volume with all knowledge and research, and constitutes

the graphic yet minutely cumulative the fullest record we have in English

effect that marks the authors' method. of those exciting times."

DUMOURIEZ AND THE

DEFENCE OF ENGLAND AGAINST NAPOLEON

BY J. HOLLAND ROSE, Lnr.D. (CANTAB.), AUTHOR OF "THE
LIFE OF NAPOLEON," AND A. M. BROADLEY, JOINT-AUTHOR
OF "NAPOLEON AND THE INVASION OF ENGLAND." ILLUS-
TRATED WITH NUMEROUS PORTRAITS, MAPS, & FACSIMILES
Dtmy Svo (9x5! inches). Price zis. net.

PRESS OPINIONS

Guardian. " It is impossible to do more than attempt an indication of the
varied and significant contents of this fascinating volume, which should
appeal alike to all Englishmen and all Frenchmen. The book is beauti-
fully printed and contains a large number of remarkable and interesting
portraits and caricatures, as well as a series of excellent maps."

Qlobe. " A hearty welcome should be accorded to ' Dumouriez.' "

Standard. "The work is beautifully illustrated, handsomely bound, and
most conveniently arranged for reference. It will appeal to a very large
public."

Sphere. " This handsome volume. Mr. Broadley and Mr. Rose, both of
whom have done no slight service to Napoleonic literature . . . exceed-
ingly readable and entirely interesting. These authors must be con-
gratulated upon a notable piece of work a permanent contribution to
the literature of the epoch."

Saturday l^e-vie-w. "The authors have rendered a real service to history in
producing this book and have displayed much industry in collecting
material. They have succeeded in giving us what was lacking before in
English a clear and consecutive account of Dumouriez's remarkable
career."

Pall Mall (jazette. " It is worthy of a place in military history ... a well-
written book."

World. "The whole sketch is deeply interesting. Messrs. Rose and
Broadley have put together, with a ihrewd appreciation of the topical side
of the subject, an excellent memorial of an able Frenchman."

'Bibliophile. "In 'Dumouriez' Dr. Holland Rose and Mr. A. M. Broadley
have given us a careful and elaborate study of one of the most remark-
able adventurers of modern times."

Nation. " This fine volume. We have nothing but praise. There is a
valuable bibliography, an iconography even more precious, and many
interesting illustrations. The book must assuredly take its place as a
standard work upon one phase of an epoch of inexhaustible interest."

Daily Telegraph. " Handsome well-illustrated volume before us, a work of
much artistic beauty and considerable literary ingenuity."

Westminster (jaxette. "The whole of this book is illuminating and deeply
interesting."

Literary World. "The numerous portraits and other illustrations add con-
siderably to th value of the work."

DR. JOHNSON & MRS.

THRALE. INCLUDING MRS. THRALE'S

UNPUBLISHED JOURNAL OF THE WELSH TOUR MADE IN
1774, AND MUCH HITHERTO UNPUBLISHED CORRE-
SPONDENCE OF THE STREATHAM COTERIE. BY A. M.
BROADLEY. WITH AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY BY
THOMAS SECCOMBE, AND NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS
FROM CONTEMPORARY PORTRAITS, PRINTS, ETC.'
INCLUDING ONE IN COLOUR AND ONE IN PHOTOGRAVURE.

Demy Svo (9 x 5| inches). Price l6s. net.

PRESS OPINIONS

Globe. " Mr. Broadley has made an interesting book, full of the olla
podrida of life at a fascinating period : and since it throws much fresh
light on the relations of Dr. Johnson, Mrs. Thrale, and the rest of that
distinguished Company, it will surely find a place on the shelves of
every good Johnsonian."

Pall Mall Gazette. "After all the loose writing about Dr. Johnson, that
his bicentenary has brought down on us, it is a pleasure to meet with
a few authentic records well edited and well presented. Mr. Broadley
has told the story of the recent celebrations at Lichfield, with a careful
pen. The publisher has added a number of good reproductions of con-
temporary prints and portraits, and these, like the illustrations that
Mr. Broadley supplies, add much to the range of our Johnsoniana."

Atheneeum. " Mr. Broadley has done well in putting on permanent record
various unpublished things, which, we gather, have found a place in his
own extensive collections."

Guardian. " This handsome and attractive volume, with its wealth of new
material. The work which is carefully furnished with explanatory
Notes and Appendices, and embellished with interesting portraits and
other illustrations, forms a really valuable addition to the literature of
a period of undying interest."

Daily Express. "The book is a history of the life and times of Dr. Johnson
and Mrs. Thrale, and there are many illustrations and facsimiles of
letters which will be welcomed by Johnsonian students."

Nation. " Mr. A. M. Broadley is to be congratulated upon the wealth of
Johnsoniana to be found in his library at Bridport."

Daily Ne-ws. "Mr. Seccombe has written a brilliant account of the
household of the Thrales, and has given us a vivid impression of the
atmosphere of the social and literary circle. The book will appeal to
the lover of general literature."

New Age. " Mr. Seccombe's high-spirited introductory essay renders the
volume invaluable. It has the controlled and fine acerbity which marks
Mr. Seccombe off from all other modern essayists."

NAPOLEON

IN CARICATURE
1795-1821

By A. M. BROADLEY

Joint Author of "Napoleon and the Invasion of England," Dumouriez and the

Defence of England against Napoleon," " Nelson's Hardy : His Life, Letters, and

Friends," Etc.

WITH AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY ON

PICTORIAL SATIRE AS A FACTOR IN NAPOLEONIC
HISTORY.

By J. HOLLAND ROSE, LITT. D. CANTAB.

Author of "A Life of Napoleon," Napoleonic Studies," " The Making of the
European Nations," Etc.

WITH 32 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR AND
200 IN BLACK & WHITE FROM RARE & OFTEN UNIQUE
ORIGINALS. IN Two VOLUMES. DEMY 8vo (9x5! inches.)

Demy8vo(9x 5! in.). Price 2 2s. net. Postage gd. extra. / Preparation

IT is computed that over 3000 caricatures of Napoleon
are in existence, of which nearly all were published
between the years 1795 an d 1815. Although the
majority of these satiric prints, as Dr. Holland Rose
points out in his important introductory essay to Mr. Broadley's
work, are specially valuable and interesting as side-lights on
Napoleon's history, and often assist the student to master
problems otherwise incapable of solution, no work on the sub-
ject as a whole has ever appeared. Mr. John Ashton and
Monsieur Jean Grand- Carteret have partially dealt with the
English side of the question, but we know little or nothing of
these quaint informative productions as far as France, Germany,
Russia, Italy, Holland, Spain, and the United States of
America are concerned. Not only has Mr. Broadley formed a col-
lection of his own probably quite unequalled in extent, but after
ransacking the treasures of the Paris Bibliotheque Nationale
and Musle Carnavalet, he has succeeded in enlisting the
sympathetic assistance of brother workers in the same field like
Monsieur Jean Grand-Carteret, Mr. William Latta of Phila-
delphia, Signor Achille Bertarelli of Milan, Mr. Van Gyn of
Dordrecht, and many others. The book, upon which so much
pains have been bestowed, will assuredly find a place in every
public and private library, and prove as useful to students as it
will unquestionably be attractive to collectors.

NAPOLEON'S CAMPAIGN IN POLAND, 1806-1807.
By F. LORAINE PETRE. A Military History of Napoleon's First
War with Russia, verified from unpublished official documents.
With Maps and Plans. New Edition. Demy 8vo. 12s. 6d. net.

Times." From every point of view_it is difficult to overpraise Mr. Petre's work.
It is evidently the work of laborious study, and all authorities are judicially
weighed. The references and copious footnotes are admirable. . . . The
maps are clear and excellent. . . . And the descriptions of the more striking
episodes are as picturesque as they are vivid and lucid."

Contemporary Review. " I do not know whether Mr. Petre has had actual
experience of war, but his battle-pieces are singularly graphic, the description
of the Battle of Eylau, in particular, being almost as good as the masterpieces
of Carlyle and Tolstoi. . . . The work is a valuable addition to the histories of
the Napoleonic wars."

Anny and Navy Gazette. " We have read his book with extreme interest, and
have a very high opinion of the masterly way in which he has assembled his
materials, the skill with which he has balanced the opinions of various writers,
and the ability with which he has brought out his conclusions."

NAPOLEON'S CONQUEST OF PRUSSIA, 1806.

By F. LORAINE PETRE, Author of "Napoleon's Campaign in
Poland, 1806-7." With an Introduction by Field-Marshal EARL
ROBERTS, K.G., v.c., etc. With numerous Maps, Battle Plans,
Portraits and other Illustrations. Demy 8vo. I2s. 6d. net.

Outlook. "Mr. Petre has visited the battlefields and read everything, and his

monograph is a model of what military history, handled with enthusiasm and

literary ability, can be."
Westminster Gazette. "Mr. Petre has written an invaluable book which should

be read by all soldiers and by every man who is now, or hopes in the future to

be, a competent statesman."
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NAPOLEON AND THE ARCHDUKE CHARLES.

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Glob
U

kely to remair
which it treats.'

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Er
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LADY CHARLOTTE SCHREIBER'S JOURNALS:

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upwards of 100 Illustrations, including some in colour. Royal 8vo.
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** Mr. Montague Guest had long been at work upon tkest two volumes when
his death took place suddenly at Sandringham last year. The journals front
Lady Charlotte Schreibers own hand, describe her many tours from the year i8tg
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which now form so splendid a feature of the Victoria and A ibert Museum at
S. Kensington. In these "notes ceramic," as Lady Charlotte called her diary,
she tells of many amusing traffics and discoveries ; the prices -wonderfully small,
judged by modern standards the names of dealers ; and addresses of private
collectors; and a thousand other interesting details. As with all of Lady
Charlotte's undertakings, she followed the art of collecting with immense vigour
and enthusiasm, and neither- she ntr the late Mr. Charles Schreiber spared them-
selves in their desire to gather together a perfect collection. Like other collectors
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ANCIENT ROYAL PALACES IN AND

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WIDDICOMBE. A Novel by M. P.

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THE CHAMPAGNE STANDARD. By

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PETERKINS : the Story of a Dog. Trans-

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By ROSA NEWMARCH

THE LIFE OF PETER ILICH TCHAI-

KOVSKY (1840-1893), by his brother, Modeste Tchaikovsky,
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Standard. " Mrs Newmarch's valuable addition to Tchaikovsky literature
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Morning Post " This delightful volume is sure to be read with avidity by the
many admirers of the Russian master in this country, who wiH doubtless feel
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and abiding interest, and to Mrs. Newmarch for the admirable manner in which
she has performed the difficult task of editing and preparing the book for
England."

POETRY AND PROGRESS IN RUSSIA.

Demy 8vo. Price 7s. 6d. net.

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SONGS TO A SINGER AND OTHER

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temper is rare. She is one of those who see life through the veil of music, and
music through the veil of life."

LONDON : JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD, VIGO STREET, W.
NEW YORK : JOHN LANE COMPANY, 110-114 WEST SZND ST.

3^0 TICE

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LIVING MASTERS OF MUSIC

An Illustrated Series of Monographs dealing with
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sentatives of all Branches of the Art. Edited by
ROSA NEWMARCH. Crown 8vo. Cloth. 2s. 6d. net
each volume.

HENRY J. WOOD. By ROSA NEWMARCH.

SIR EDWARD ELGAR. By R. J. BUCKLEY.

JOSEPH JOACHIM. By J. A. FULLER MAITLAND.

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IGNAZ PADEREWSKI. By E. A. BAUGHAN.

RICHARD STRAUSS. By A. KALISCH.

CLAUDE DEBUSSY. By FRANZ LIEBICH.

STARS OF THE STAGE

A Series of Illustrated Biographies of the Leading
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** It was Schiller who said: " Twine no wreath for the
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First Volumes.

ELLEN TERRY. By CHRISTOPHER ST. JOHN.
HERBERT BEERBOHM TREE. By MRS. GEORGE CRAN.
W. S. GILBERT. By EDITH A. BROWNE.
CHAS. WYNDHAM. By FLORENCE TEIGNMOUTH SHORE.
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW. By G. K. CHESTERTON.

A CATALOGUE OF

MEMOIRS, (BIOGT^APHIES, ETC.

UPON ^APOLEON

NAPOLEON c^THE INVASION OF ENGLAND :

The Story of the Great Terror, 1797-1805. By H. F. B.
WHEELER and A. M. BROADLEY. With upwards of 100 Full-
page Illustrations reproduced from Contemporary Portraits, Prints,
etc. ; eight in Colour. Two Volumes. 3 2 s. net.

Outlook. "The book is not merely one to be ordered from the library; it should be
purchased, kept
love England."

purchased, kept on an accessible shelf, and constantly studied by all Englishmen who
lo

DUMOURIEZ AND THE DEFENCE OF

ENGLAND AGAINST NAPOLEON. BY J. HOLLAND
ROSE, Litt.D. (Cantab.), Author of "The Life of Napoleon,"
and A. M. BROADLEY, joint-author of " Napoleon and the Invasion
of England." Illustrated with numerous Portraits, Maps, and
Facsimiles. Demy 8vo. zis. net.

THE FALL OF NAPOLEON. By OSCAR

BROWNING, M. A., Author of "The Boyhood and Youth of Napoleon."
With numerous Full-page Illustrations. Demy 8vo (9 x 5f inches).
izs. 6d. net.

Spectator. " Without doubt Mr. Oscar Browning has produced a book which should have

its place in any library of Napoleonic literature."

Truth. " Mr. Oscar Browning has made not the least, but the most of the romantic
i, . material at his command for the story of the fall of the greatest figure in history."

THE BOYHOOD & YOUTH OF NAPOLEON,

1769-1793. Some Chapters on the early life of Bonaparte.
By OSCAR BROWNING, M.A. With numerous Illustrations, Por-
traits, etc. Crown 8vo. 51. net.

Daily News. "Mr. Browning has with patience, labour, careful study, and excellent taste
given us a very valuable work, which will add materially to the literature on this most
fascinating of human personalities."

THE LOVE AFFAIRS OF NAPOLEON. By

JOSEPH TURQUAN. Translated from the French by JAMES L. MAY.
With 32 Full-page Illustrations. Demy 8vo (9 x 5^ inches).
12s. 6d. net.

A CATALOGUE OF

THE DUKE OF REICHSTADT (NAPOLEON II.)

By EDWARD DE WERTHEIMER. Translated from the German.
With numerous Illustrations. Demy 8vo. 2 is. net. (Second
Edition.)

Times. "A most careful and interesting work which presents the first complete and
authoritative account of the life of this unfortunate Prince."

Westminster Gazette. " This book, admirably produced, reinforced by many additional
portraits, is a solid contribution to history and a monument of patient, well-applied
research."

NAPOLEON'S CONQUEST OF PRUSSIA, 1806.

By F. LORAINE PETRE. With an Introduction by FIELD-
MARSHAL EARL ROBERTS, V.C., K.G., etc. With Maps, Battle
Plans, Portraits, and 16 Full-page Illustrations. Demy 8vo
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Scotsman. " Neither too concise, nor too diffuse, the book is eminently readable. It is the
best work in English on a somewhat circumscribed subject."

Outlook. " Mr. Petre has visited the battlefields and read everything, and his monograph is
a model of what military history, handled with enthusiasm and literary ability, can be."

NAPOLEON'S CAMPAIGN IN POLAND, 1806-

1807. A Military History of Napoleon's First War with Russia,
verified from unpublished official documents. By F. LORAINE
PETRE. With 16 Full-page Illustrations, Maps, and Plans. New
Edition. Demy 8vo (9 x 5| inches). izs. 6d. net.

Army and Navy Chronicle. " We welcome a second edition of this valuable work. . . .
Mr. Loraine Petre is an authority on the wars of the great Napoleon, and has brought
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NAPOLEON AND THE ARCHDUKE

CHARLES. A History of the Franco- Austrian Campaign in
the Valley of the Danube in 1809. By F. LORAINE PETRE.
With 8 Illustrations and 6 sheets of Maps and Plans. Demy 8vo
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RALPH HEATHCOTE. Letters of a Diplomatist

During the Time of Napoleon, Giving an Account of the Dispute
between the Emperor and the Elector of Hesse. By COUNTESS
GUNTHER GROBEN. With Numerous Illustrations. Demy 8vo
(9 x 5 f inches), izs. 6d. net.

*** Ralph Heathcote, the son of an English father and an Alsatian mother, was for
some time in the English diplomatic service as first secretary to Mr. Brook Taylor, minister
at the Court of Hesse, and on one occasion found himself very near to making history.
Napoleon btcamt persuaded that Taylor was implicated in a plot to procure his assassina-
tion, and insisted on his dismissal from the Hessian Court. As Taylor refused to be
dismissed, the incident at one time seemed likely to result to the Elector in the loss of his
throne. Heathcote came into contact with a number of notable people, including the Miss
Berrys, with whom he assures his mother he is not in love. On the whole, there is much
interesting material for lovers of old letters and journals.

MEMOIRS, BIOGRAPHIES, ETC. 5
MEMOIRS OF THE COUNT DE CARTRIE.

A record of the extraordinary events in the life of a French
Royalist during the war in La Vendee, and of his flight to South-
ampton, where he followed the humble occupation of gardener.
With an introduction by FREDERIC MASSON, Appendices and Notes
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Daily News. " We have seldom met with a human document which has interested us so
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THE JOURNAL OF JOHN MAYNE DURING

A TOUR ON THE CONTINENT UPON ITS RE-
OPENING AFTER THE FALL OF NAPOLEON, 1814.
Edited by his Grandson, JOHN MAYNE COLLES. With 1 6
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WOMEN OF THE SECOND EMPIRE.

Chronicles of the Court of Napoleon III. By FREDERIC LOLIEE.
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Standard. " WL. Fre'cteric Loltee has written a remarkable book, vivid and pitiless in its
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LOUIS NAPOLEON AND THE GENESIS OF

THE SECOND EMPIRE. By F. H. CHEETHAM. With
Numerous Illustrations. Demy 8vo (9 x 5f inches). i6s. net.

MEMOIRS OF MADEMOISELLE DES

ECHEROLLES. Translated from the French by MARIE
CLOTHILDE BALFOUR. With an Introduction by G. K. FORTESCUE,
Portraits, etc. 5^. net.

Liverpool Mercury. ". . . this absorbing book. . . . The work has a very decided
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idiom."

JANE AUSTEN'S SAILOR BROTHERS. Being

the life and Adventures of Sir Francis Austen, G.C.B., Admiral of
the Fleet, and Rear-Admiral Charles Austen. By J. H. and E. C.
HUBBACK. With numerous Illustrations. Demy 8vo. 1 2s. 6d. net.

Mtming Post. ". . . May be welcomed as an important addition to Austeniana . . .;
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and sentiments of naval officers during the period that preceded and that which
followed the great battle of just one century ago, the battle which won so much but
which cost us Nelson."

A CATALOGUE OF

SOME WOMEN LOVING AND LUCKLESS.

By TEODOR DE WYZEWA. Translated from the French by C. H.
JEFFRESON, M.A. With Numerous Illustrations. Demy 8vo
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POETRY AND PROGRESS IN RUSSIA. By

ROSA NEWMARCH. With 6 full-page Portraits. Demy 8vo.
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GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO : A BIOGRAPHICAL

STUDY. By EDWARD HUTTON. With a Photogravure Frontis-
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THE LIFE OF PETER ILICH TCHAIKOVSKY

(1840-1893). By his Brother, MODESTE TCHAIKOVSKY. Edited
and abridged from the Russian and German Editions by ROSA
NEWMARCH. With Numerous Illustrations and Facsimiles and an
Introduction by the Editor. Demy 8vo. js. 6d. net. Second
edition.

The Times. " A most illuminating commentary on Tchaikovsky's music."

World. " One of the most fascinating self-revelations by an artist which has been given to

the world. The translation is excellent, and worth reading for its own sake."
Contemporary Review. " The book's appeal is, of course, primarily to the music-lover ; but
there is so much of human and literary interest in it, such intimate revelation of a
singularly interesting personality, that many who have never come under the spe_ll of
the Pathetic Symphony will be strongly attracted by what is virtually the spiritual
autobiography of its composer. High praise is due to the translator and editor for the

.t presented to us in these pages.

COKE OF NORFOLK AND HIS FRIENDS:

The Life of Thomas William Coke, First Earl of Leicester of
the second creation, containing an account of his Ancestry,
Surroundings, Public Services, and Private Friendships, and
including many Unpublished Letters from Noted Men of his day,
English and American. By A. M. W. STIRLING. With 20
Photogravure and upwards of 40 other Illustrations reproduced
from Contemporary Portraits, Prints, etc. Demy 8vo. 2 vols.
32*. net.

The Times." We thank Mr. Stirling for one of the most interesting memoirs of recent

years."
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a resurrection. S_he has fashioned a picture of a dead and forgotten past and brought

before our eyes with the vividness of breathing existence the life of our English ancestors

of the eighteenth century."
Pall Mall Gazette. " A work of no common interest ; in fact, a work which may almost be

called unique."
Evening Standard.' ' One of the most interesting biographies we have read for years.

MEMOIRS, BIOGRAPHIES, ETC. 7

THE LIFE OF SIR HALLIDAY MACART-
NEY, K.C.M.G., Commander of Li Hung Chang's trained
force in the Taeping Rebellion, founder of the first Chinese
Arsenal, Secretary to the first Chinese Embassy to Europe.
Secretary and Councillor to the Chinese Legation in London for
thirty years. By DEMETRIUS C. BOULGER, Author of the
" History of China," the " Life of Gordon," etc. With Illus-
trations. Demy 8vo. Price zu. net.

Daily Graphic. " It is safe to say that few readers will be able to put down the book with-
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DEVONSHIRE CHARACTERS AND STRANGE

EVENTS. By S. BARING-GOULD, M.A., Author of " Yorkshire
Oddities," etc. With 58 Illustrations. Demy 8vo. zu.net.

Daily News. "A fascinating series . . . the whole book is rich in human interest. It is
by personal touches, drawn from traditions and memories, that the dead men surrounded
by the curious panoply of their time, are made to live again in Mr. Baring-Gould's pages. "

CORNISH CHARACTERS AND STRANGE

EVENTS. By S. BARING-GOULD. Demy 8vo. zu.net.

THE HEART OF GAMBETTA. Translated

from the French of FRANCIS LAUR by VIOLETTE MONTAGU.
With an Introduction by JOHN MACDONALD, Portraits and other
Illustrations. Demy 8vo. js. 6d. net.

Daily Telegraph. " It is Gambetta pouring 'out his soul to Leonie Leon, the strange,
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THE MEMOIRS OF ANN, LADY FANSHAWE.

Written by Lady Fanshawe. With Extracts from the Correspon-
dence of Sir Richard Fanshawe. Edited by H. C. FANSHAWE.
With 38 Full-page Illustrations, including four in Photogravure
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*** This Edititn has been printed direct from the original manuscript in the possession
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f orm a running commentary on the text. Many famous pictures are reproduced, includ-
ing paintings ty Velazquez and Van Dyck.

8 A CATALOGUE OF

THE LIFE OF JOAN OF ARC. By ANATOLE

FRANCE. A Translation by WINIFRED STEPHENS. With 8 Illus-
trations. Demy 8vo (9 x 5f inches). 2 vols. Price 2$s. net.

THE DAUGHTER OF LOUIS XVI. Marie-

Therese-Charlotte of France, Duchesse D'Angouleme. By. G.
LENOTRE. With 13 Full-page Illustrations. Demy 8vo. Price
los. 6d. net.

WITS, BEAUX, AND BEAUTIES OF THE

GEORGIAN ERA. By JOHN FYVIE, author of " Some Famous
Women of Wit and Beauty," " Comedy Queens of the Georgian
Era," etc. With a Photogravure Portrait and numerous other
Illustrations. Demy 8vo (9 x 5f inches). 12s. 6d. net.

LADIES FAIR AND FRAIL. Sketches of the

Demi-monde during the Eighteenth Century. By HORACE
BLEACKLEY, author of "The Story of a Beautiful Duchess."
With i Photogravure and 15 other Portraits reproduced from
contemporary sources. Demy 8vo (9 x 5| inches), izs. 6d. net.

MADAME DE MAINTENON : Her Life and

Times, 1635-1719. By C. C. DYSON. With i Photogravure
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DR. JOHNSON AND MRS. THRALE. By

A. M. BROADLEY. With an Introductory Chapter by THOMAS
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THE DAYS OF THE DIRECTOIRE. By

ALFRED ALLINSON, M.A. With 48 Full-page Illustrations,
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MEMOIRS, BIOGRAPHIES, ETC. 9
HUBERT AND JOHN VAN EYCK : Their Life

and Work. By W. H. JAMES WEALE. With 41 Photogravure
and 95 Black and White Reproductions. Royal 410. ^5 $s. net.

SIR MARTIN CONWAY'S NOTE.

Nearly^ half a century has passed since Mr. IV. H. James Weale, then resident at
Bruges, began that long series of patient investigations into the history of Netherlandish
art which was destined to earn so rich a harvest. When he began work Memlinc was
still called Hemling, and was fabled to have arrived at Bruges as a wounded soldier.
The van Eycks were little more than legendary heroes. Roger Van der Wcyden was little
more than a name. Most of the other great Netherlandish artists were either wholly
^orgotten or named only in connection with paintings with which they had nothing to do.
Mr. Weale discovered Gerard David, and disentangled his principal works from Mem-
line's, with which they were then confused.

VINCENZO FOPPA OF BRESCIA, FOUNDER OF

THE LOMBARD SCHOOL, His LIFE AND WORK. By CONSTANCE
JOCELYN FFOULKES and MONSIGNOR RODOLFO MAJOCCHI, D.D.,
Rector of the Collegio Borromeo, Pavia. Based on research in the
Archives of Milan, Pavia, Brescia, and Genoa, and on the study
of all his known works. With over 100 Illustrations, many in
Photogravure, and 100 Documents. Royal 410. ^3. n/. 6d. net.

*** No complete Life of Vinccnzo Foppa has ever been written : an omission which
seems almost inexplicable in these days of over-production in the matter of bio-
graphies of painters, and of subjects relating to the art of Italy. The object of the
authors of this book has been to present a true picture of the master's life based
upon the testimony of records in Italian archives. The authors have unearthed a large
amount of new material relating to Foppa, one of the most interesting facts brought to
light being that he lived for twenty-three years longer than was formerly supposed. The
illustrations will include several pictures by Foppa hithertt unknown in the history of art.

MEMOIRS OF THE DUKES OF URBINO.

Illustrating the Arms, Art and Literature of Italy from 1440 to
1630. By JAMES DENNISTOUN of Dennistoun. A New Edition
edited by EDWARD HUTTON, with upwards of 100 Illustrations.
Demy 8vo. 3 vols. 42^. net.

** For many years this great book has been out a, print, although it still remains the
chief authority upon the Duchy of Urbino from the beginning of the fifteenth century.
Mr. Hutton has carefully edited the whole work, leaving the text substantially the same,
but adding a large number ef new notes, comments and references. Wherever possible
the reader is directed to original sources. Every sort of work has been laid under
contribution to illustrate the text, and bibliographies have been supplied on manv subjects.
Sesides these notes the book acquires a new value on account of the mass of illustrations
which it now contains, thus adding a pictorial comment to an historical and critical one.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF LONG LIFE. By

JEAN FINOT. A Translation by HARRY ROBERTS. Demy 8vo.
(9 x 5-| inches), js. 6d. net.

** This is a translation of a book which has attained to the position of a classic. It
has already been translated into almost every language, and has, in France, gone into four-
teen editions in the course of a few years. The book is an exhaustive one, and although
based on science and philosophy it is in no sense abstruse or remote from general interest.
It deals with life as embodied not only in man and in the animal and vegetable worlds, but
in all that great world of (as the author holds) misnamed " inanimate " nature as well.
For M. Finot argues that all things have life and consciousness, and that a solidarity
exists which brings together all beings and so-called things. He sets himself to work t
show that life, in its philosophic conception, is an elemental force, and durable as nature
herself.

A CATALOGUE OF

THE DIARY OF A LADY-IN-WAITING. By

LADY CHARLOTTE BURY. Being the Diary Illustrative of the
Times of George the Fourth. Interspersed with original Letters
from the late Queen Caroline and from various other distinguished
persons. New edition. Edited, with an Introduction, by A.
FRANCIS STEUART. With numerous portraits. Two Vols.
Demy 8vo. 215-. net

THE LAST JOURNALS OF HORACE WAL-

POLE. During the Reign of George III from 1771 to 1783.
With Notes by DR. DORAN. Edited with an Introduction by
A. FRANCIS STEUART, and containing numerous Portraits (2 in
Photogravure) reproduced from contemporary Pictures, Engravings,
etc. 2 vols. Uniform with " The Diary of a Lady-in- Waiting."
Demy 8vo (9 x 5^ inches). 25^. net.

JUNIPER HALL: Rendezvous of certain illus-
trious Personages during the French Revolution, including Alex-
ander D'Arblay and Fanny Burney. Compiled by CONSTANCE
HILL. With numerous Illustrations by ELLEN G. HILL, and repro-
ductions from various Contemporary Portraits. Crown 8vo. 5^. net.

JANE AUSTEN : Her Homes and Her Friends.

By CONSTANCE HILL. Numerous Illustrations by ELLEN G. HILL,
together with Reproductions from Old Portraits, etc. Cr. 8vo. 5J.net.

THE HOUSE IN ST. MARTIN'S STREET.

Being Chronicles of the Burney Family. By CONSTANCE HILL,
Author of " Jane Austen, Her Home, and Her Friends," " Juniper
Hall," etc. With numerous Illustrations by ELLEN G. HILL, and
reproductions of Contemporary Portraits, etc. Demy 8vo. 2is.net.

STORY OF THE PRINCESS DES URSINS IN

SPAIN (Camarera-Mayor). By CONSTANCE HILL. With 12
Illustrations and a Photogravure Frontispiece. New Edition.
Crown 8vo. 5*. net.

MARIA EDGEWORTH AND HER CIRCLE

IN THE DAYS OF BONAPARTE AND BOURBON.
By CONSTANCE HILL. Author of "Jane Austen : Her Homes
and Her Friends," "Juniper Hall," "The House in St. Martin's
Street," etc. With numerous Illustrations by ELLEN G. HILL
and Reproductions of Contemporary Portraits, etc. Demy 8vo
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MEMOIRS, BIOGRAPHIES, ETC, n
NEW LETTERS OF THOMAS CARLYLE.

Edited and Annotated by ALEXANDER CARLYLE, with Notes and
an Introduction and numerous Illustrations. In Two Volumes.
Demy 8vo. z$s. net.

Pall Mall Gazette. " To the portrait of the man, TLorftas, these letters do really add

value ; we can learn to respect and to like him the more for the genuine goodness of his

personality."
Literary World." It is then Carlyle, the nobly filial son, we see in these letters ; Carlyle,

the generous and affectionate brother, the loyal and warm-hearted friend, . . . and

above all, Carlyle as the tender and faithful lover of his wife."
Daily Telegraph. " The letters are characteristic enough of the Carlyle we know : very

picturesque and entertaining, full of extravagant emphasis, written, as a rule, at fever

neat, eloquently rabid and emotional.'

NEW LETTERS AND MEMORIALS OF JANE

WELSH CARLYLE. A Collection of hitherto Unpublished
Letters. Annotated by THOMAS CARLYLE, and Edited by
ALEXANDER CARLYLE, with an Introduction by Sir JAMES CRICHTON
BROWNE, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S., numerous Illustrations drawn in Litho-
graphy by T. R. WAY, and Photogravure Portraits from hitherto
unreproduced Originals. In Two Volumes. Demy 8vo. 2$s. net.

Westminster Gazette. " Few letters in the language have in such perfection the qualities
which good letters should possess. Frank, gay, brilliant, indiscreet, immensely clever,
whimsical, and audacious, they reveal a character which, with whatever alloy of human
infirmity, must endear itself to any reader of understanding."

World." Throws a deal of new light on the domestic relations of the Sage of Chelsea.
They also contain the full text of Mrs. Carlyle's fascinating journal, and her own
' humorous and quaintly candid ' narrative of her first love-affair."

THE LOVE LETTERS OF THOMAS CAR-
LYLE AND JANE WELSH. Edited by ALEXANDER CARLYLE,
Nephew of THOMAS CARLYLE, editor of "New Letters and
Memorials of Jane Welsh Carlyle," " New Letters of Thomas
Carlyle/' etc. With 2 Portraits in colour and numerous other
Illustrations. Demy 8vo (9x5^ inches). 2 vols. 25^. net.

CARLYLE'S FIRST LOVE. Margaret Gordon-
Lady Bannerman. An account of her Life, Ancestry and
Homes ; her Family and Friends. By R. C. ARCHIBALD. With
20 Portraits and Illustrations, including a Frontispiece in Colour.
Demy 8vo (9 x 5! inches). io/. 6d. net

EMILE ZOLA : NOVELIST AND REFORMER. An

Account of his Life, Work, and Influence. By E. A. VIZETELLY.
With numerous Illustrations, Portraits, etc. Demy 8vo. zis. net.

Morning- Post. "Mr. Ernest Vizetelly has given . . . a very true insight into the aims,

character, and life of the novelist."
Athenceum. ". . . Exhaustive and interesting."
Af.A.P.". . . will stand as the classic biography of Zola.'

12 A CATALOGUE OF

MEMOIRS OF THE MARTYR KING : being a

detailed record of the last two years of the Reign of His Most
Sacred Majesty King Charles the First, 1646-1648-9. Com-
piled by ALLAN FEA. With upwards of 100 Photogravure
Portraits and other Illustrations, including relics. Royal 410.
IO5/. net.

Mr. M. H. SPIELMANN in The Academy. "The volume is a triumph for the printer and

publisher, and a solid contribution to Carolinian literature."

Pall Mall Gazette. " The present sumptuous volume, a storehouse of eloquent associations
. . comes as near to outward perfection as anything we could desire."

MEMOIRS OF A VANISHED GENERATION

1813-1855. Edited by MRS. WARRENNE BLAKE. With numerous
Illustrations. Demy 8vo. 1 6s. net.

** This mark is compiled from diaries and letters dating j rom the time of the Regency
to the middle of the nineteenth century. The value of the work lies in its natural un-
embellished picture of the life of a cultured and well-born family in a foreign environment
at a period so close to our ov>n that it is far less familiar than periods much more remote.
There is an atmosphere of Jane A usten's novels about the lives of Admiral Knox and his
family, and a large number of well-known contemporaries are introduced into Mrs. Blake's
Gages.

CESAR FRANCK : A Study. Translated from the

French of Vincent d'Indy, with an Introduction by ROSA NEW-
MARCH. Demy 8vo. js. 6d. net.

** There is no purer influence in modern music than that of Cfsar Franck, for many
"ears ignored in every capacity save that of organist of Sainte-Clatildc, in Paris, but ttcrw
recognised as the legitimate successor of Bach and Beethoven. His inspiration " rooted in
love and faith " has contributed in a remarkable degree to the regeneration of the musical
art in France and elsewhere. The ntw famous " Schola Cantorum" founded in Paris in
1896, by A. Guilmant, Charles Bordes and Vincent d'Indy, is the direct outcome of his
influence. Among the artists who were in some sort his disciples were Paul Dukas,
Chabrier, Gabriel Faurf and the great violinist Ysaye. His pupils include such gifted
composers as Benoit, Augusta Holmes, Chausson, Ropartz, and d' Indy, This book,
written with the devotion of a disciple and the authority of a master, leaves us with
a -vivid and touching impression of the saint-like composer o f " The Beatitudes."

FRENCH NOVELISTS OF TO-DAY : Maurice

Barres, Rene Bazin, Paul Bourget, Pierre de Coulevain, Anatole
France, Pierre Loti, Marcel Prevost, and Edouard Rod. Bio-
graphical, Descriptive, and Critical. By WINIFRED STEPHENS.
With Portraits and Bibliographies. Crown 8vo. 5_r. net.

** The writer, who has lived much in France, is thoroughly acquainted with French
life and with the principal currents of French thought. The book is intended to be a
guide to English readers desirous to keep in touch with the best present-day French
fiction. Special attention is given to the ecclesiastical, social, and intellectual problems
ef contemporary France and their influence upon the works of French novelists of to-day.

THE KING'S GENERAL IN THE WEST,

being the Life of Sir Richard Granville, Baronet (1600-1659).
By ROGER GRANVILLE, M.A., Sub-Dean of Exeter Cathedral.
With Illustrations. Demy 8vo. ids. 6d. net.

Westminster Gazette. "A distinctly interesting work; it will be highly appreciated by
historical students as well as by ordinary readers."

MEMOIRS, BIOGRAPHIES, ETC. 13
THE SOUL OF A TURK. By MRS. DE BUNSEN.

With 8 Full-page Illustrations. Demy 8vo. IQJ. 6^. net.

V* We hear of Moslem "fanaticism " and Christian "superstition" but it is not easy
to find a book which goes to the heart of the matter. " The Soul of a Turk " is the
outcome of several journeys in Asiatic and European Turkey, notably one through the
Armenian provinces, doivn the Tigris on a raft to Baghdad and across the Syrian Desert
t Damascus. Mrs. de Bunsen made a special study of the various forms of religion
existing in those countries. Here, side by side -with the formal ceremonial of the village
mosque and the Christian Church, is the resort to Magic and Mystery.

THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF ROBERT

STEPHEN HAWKER, sometime Vicar of Morwenstow in Cornwall.
By C. E. BYLES. With numerous Illustrations by J. LEY
PETHYBRIDGE and others. Demy 8vo. 75. 6d. net.

Daily Telegraph. " . . . As soon as the volume is opened one finds oneself in the presence
of a real original, a man of ability, genius and eccentricity, of whom one cannot know
too much . . . No one will read this fascinating and charmingly produced book without
thanks to Mr. Byles and a desire to visit or revisit Morwenstow."

THE LIFE OF WILLIAM BLAKE. By ALEXANDER

GILCHRIST. Edited with an Introduction by W.GRAHAM ROBERTSON.
Numerous Reproductions from Blake's most characteristic and
remarkable designs. Demy 8vo. io/. 6d. net. New Edition.

Birmingham Post. "Nothing seems at all likely ever to supplant the Gilchrist biography.
Mr. Swinburne praised it magnificently in his own eloquent essay on Blake, and there
should be no need now to point out its entire sanity, understanding keenness of critical
insight, and masterly literary style. Dealing with one of the most difficult of subjects,
it ranks among the finest things of its kind that we possess."

GEORGE MEREDITH : Some Characteristics.

By RICHARD LE GALLIENNE. With a Bibliography (much en-
larged) by JOHN LANE. Portrait, etc. Crown 8vo. 5^. net. Fifth
Edition. Revised.

Punch. "All Meredithians must possess 'George Meredith; Some Characteristics,' by
Richard Le Gallienne. This book is a complete and excellent guide to the novelist and
the novels, a sort of Meredithian Bradshaw, with pictures of the traffic superintendent
and the head office at Boxhill. Even Philistines may be won over by the blandishments
of Mr. Le Gallienne."

LIFE OF LORD CHESTERFIELD. An account

of the Ancestry, Personal Character, and Public Services of the
Fourth Earl of Chesterfield. By W. H. CRAIG, M.A. Numerous
Illustrations. Demy 8vo. 1 2/. 6^. net.

Times. " It is the chief point of Mr. Craig's book to show the sterling qualities which
Chesterfield was at too much pains in concealing, to reject the perishable trivialities of
his character, and to exhibit him as a philosophic statesman, not inferior to any of his
contemporaries, except Walpole at one end of his life, and Chatham at the other."

14 A CATALOGUE OF

A QUEEN OF INDISCRETIONS. The Tragedy

of Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of England. From the Italian
of G. P. CLERICI. Translated by FREDERIC CHAPMAN. With
numerous Illustrations reproduced from contemporary Portraits and
Prints. Demy 8vo. 2 is. net.

The Daily Telegraph. " It could scarcely be done more thoroughly or, on the whole, in
better taste than is here displayed by Professor Clerici. Mr. Frederic Chapman himself
contributes an uncommonly interesting and well-informed introduction.'

LETTERS AND JOURNALS OF SAMUEL

GRIDLEY HOWE. Edited by his Daughter LAURA E.
RICHARDS. With Notes and a Preface by F. B. SANBORN, an
Introduction by Mrs. JOHN LANE, and a Portrait. Demy 8vo
(9 x 5f inches). i6s. net.

Outlook. "This deeply interesting record of experience. The volume is worthily produced
and contains a striking portrait of Howe."

GRIEG AND HIS MUSIC. By H. T. FINCK,

Author of " Wagner and his Works," etc. With Illustrations.
Crown 8vo. js. 6d. net.

EDWARD A. MACDOWELL : a Biography. By

LAWRENCE GILMAN, Author of " Phases of Modern Music,"
" Straus's ' Salome,' " " The Music of To-morrow and Other
Studies," " Edward Macdowell," etc. Profusely illustrated.
Crown 8vo. $s, net.

THE LIFE OF ST. MARY MAGDALEN.

Translated from the Italian of an Unknown Fourteenth-Century
Writer by VALENTINA HAWTREY. With an Introductory Note by
VERNON LEE, and 14 Full-page Reproductions from the Old Masters.
Crown 8vo. 5/. net.

Daily News. " Miss Valentina Hawtrey has given a most excellent English version of this
pleasant work."

MEN AND LETTERS. By HERBERT PAUL, M.P.

Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo. 5/. net.

Daily News. " Mr. Herbert Paul has done scholars and the reading world in genera a high
service in publishing this collection of his essays."

ROBERT BROWNING : Essays and Thoughts.

By J. T. NETTLESHIP. With Portrait. Crown 8vo. 5.1-. 6d. net.
(Third Edition.)

MEMOIRS, BIOGRAPHIES, ETC. 15
WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY. A

Biography by LEWIS MELVILLE. With 2 Photogravures and
numerous other Illustrations. Demy 8vo (9 x 5^ inches).
25.?. net.

*** In compiling this biography of Thackeray Mr. Lewis Melville, who is admittedly
the authority on the subject, has been assisted by numerous Thackeray experts. Mr.
Melville's name has long been associated with Thackeray, not only as founder of the
Titmarsh Club, but also as the author of" The Thackeray County " and the editor of the
standard edition of Thackeray's works and " Thackeray's Stray Papers." For -many
vears Mr. Melville has devoted himself to the collection of material relating to the life and
work of his subject. He has had access to many new letters, and much information has
come to hand since the publication of " The Life of Thackeray." Now that everything
about the novelist is known, it seems that an appropriate moment has arrived for a new
biography. Mr. Melville has also compiled a bibliography of Thackeray that runs to
upwards 1,300 items, by many hundreds more than contained in any hitherto issued.
This section will be invaluable to the collector. Thackeray's speeches, including several
never before republished, have also been collected. There is a list of portraits of the
novelist, and a separate index to the Bibliography.

A LATER PEPYS. The Correspondence of Sir

William Weller Pepys, Bart., Master in Chancery, 1758-1825,
with Mrs. Chapone, Mrs. Hartley, Mrs. Montague, Hannah More,
William Franks, Sir James Macdonald, Major Rennell, Sir
Nathaniel Wraxall, and others. Edited, with an Introduction and
Notes, by ALICE C. C. GAUSSEN. With numerous Illustrations.
Demy 8vo. In Two Volumes. 32*. net.

DOUGLAS SLADEN in the Queen. "This is indisputably a most valuable contribution to the
literature of the eighteenth century. It is a veritable storehouse of society gossip, the
art criticism, and the mots of famous people."

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, AN ELEGY;
AND OTHER POEMS, MAINLY PERSONAL. By

RICHARD LE GALLIENNE. Crown 8vo. 4J-. 6d. net.

Globe. "The opening Elegy on R. L. Stevenson includes some tender and touching
passages, and has throughout the merits of sincerity and clearness."

RUDYARD KIPLING : a Criticism. By RICHARD

LE GALLIENNE. With a Bibliography by JOHN LANE. Crown
8vo. 31. 6d. net.

Scotsman " It shows a keen insight into the essential qualities of literature, and analyses
Mr. Kipling's product with the skill of a craftsman . . . the positive and outstanding
merits of Mr. Kipling's contribution to the literature of his time are marshalled by his
critic with quite uncommon skill."

APOLOGIA DIFFIDENTIS. By W. COMPTON

LEITH. Demy 8vo. y/. 6d. net.

** The book, which is largely autobiographical, describes the effect of diffidence upon
an individual life, and contains, with a consideration of the nature of shyness, a plea for
a kindlier judgment of the inveterate case.

Daily Mail. 11 Mr. Leith has written a very beautiful ^book, and perhaps the publisher's
claim that this will be a new classic is not too bold."

16 MEMOIRS, BIOGRAPHIES, ETC.
THE TRUE STORY OF MY LIFE : an Auto-

biography by ALICE M. DIEHL, Novelist, Writer, and Musician.
Demy 8vo. los. 6d. net.

THE LIFE OF W. J. FOX, Public Teacher and

Social Reformer, 1786-1864. By the late RICHARD GARNETT,
C.B., LL.D., concluded by EDWARD GARNETT. Demy 8vo.
(9 x 5|inches.) i6.r. net.

** W. J. Fox was a prominent figure in public life from 1820 to 1860. From a
weaver's boy he became M.P. for Oldham (1847-1862), and he will always be remembered
for his association with South Place Chapel, where his Radical opinions and fame as a
preacher and popular orator brought him in contact with an advanced circle of thoughtful
people. He was the discoverer of the youthful Robert Browning and Harriet Martineau,
and the friend of J. S. Mill, Home, John Forster, Macready, etc. As an Anti-Corn
Law trator, he swayed, by the power of his eloquence, enthusiastic audiences. As a
politician, he was the unswerving champion of social reform and the cause of oppressed
nationalities, his most celebrated speech being in support of his Bill for National Educa-
tion, 1850, a Bill which anticipated many of the features of the Education Bill of our
own time. He died in 1863. The present Life has been compiled from manuscript
material entrusted to Dr. Garnett by Mrs. Bridell Fox.

OTIA : Essays. By ARMINE THOMAS KENT. Crown

8vo. 5/. net.

TERRORS OF THE LAW : being the Portraits

of Three Lawyers the original Weir of Hermiston, " Bloody
Jeffreys," and " Bluidy Advocate Mackenzie." By FRANCIS
WATT. With 3 Photogravure Portraits. Fcap. 8vo. ^s. 6d. net.

Tlie Literary World. "The book is altogether entertaining; it is brisk, lively, and
effective. Mr. Watt has already, in his two series of 'The Law's Lumber Room,'
established his place as an essayist in legal lore, and the present book will increase his
reputation."

CHAMPIONS OF THE FLEET. Captains and

Men-of-War in the Days that Helped to make the Empire. By
EDWARD ERASER. With 16 Full-page Illustrations. Crown 8vo.
6s.

THE LONDONS OF THE BRITISH FLEET :

The Story of Ships bearing the name of Old Renown in Naval
Annals. By EDWARD FRASER. With 8 Illustrations in colours,
and 20 in black and white. Crown 8vo. 6s.

JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD, VIGO STREET, LONDON, W.

DA
949

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Full text of "The War in Wexford; an account of the rebellion in the south of Ireland in 1798 told from original documents by H.F.B. Wheeler & A.M. Broadley"

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